Sri Lanka’s foreign relations needs capable people - Dayan

Sri Lanka’s former Permanent Representative to Geneva Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke says Sri Lanka’s foreign relations must be dealt with by capable people similar to the way Sri Lanka’s war had capable people to handle the military operations.

Without directly saying there was a need to change the incumbent Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Dr. Jayatilleke, responding to a question posed by Daily Mirror said “We need to ask ourselves if we have the best possible people available to us, fighting the external war, the legitimacy war that is needed to consolidate our military victory.”

Dr. Jayatilleke drew a parallel between using the best personalities within the country to win the war and using equally talented individuals to win Sri Lanka’s international relations battle. “It is nothing personal it’s a principle. The principle being that when we fought this war we had the best of those available to us.  The President actively played the role of Commander-in-Chief, in a way that no President before him did. We had the Secretary of Defense, the best secretary of defense that we have ever had and the connecting link between the executive and the armed forces General Sarath Fonseka,” he said.

While praising the efforts of the army he pointed out the talented men that had led to the victory. “We have a very professional army and I would say one of the best fighting forces in the world today, having defeated one of the most formidable enemies

We picked our best people Wasantha Karanagoda, Roshantha Goonatilike this was the best team that came together to fight the war,” he said. 

Jayatilleke explained that he saw a number of potential candidates within the cabinet of Ministers. “The present cabinet has people eminently suited for the task. Sarath Amunugama, Prof. G.L. Peries these are people that could be wonderful Foreign Ministers for Sri Lanka.  They could be made Foreign Minister tomorrow and Sri Lanka’s crisis of Foreign Relations could begin to turn around,” he said.

The former Ambassador made these statements in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror and stated that he had no intention of entering politics or taking up the post of Foreign Minister himself. “I would never put myself forward to be the next Foreign Minister because there are very capable persons in that cabinet that could take up the role,” he said.