EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka Bernard Savage says the EU respected Sri Lanka’s judicial process and its decision on Sri Lanka’s GSP plus renewal will not be based on any on-going case here.
Savage was responding to a query by The Island whether the EU would not renew the GSP plus concession unless the government freed DNA leader Gen. (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
The EU Ambassador old The Island that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe could not speak on behalf of the EU.
"What he [Wickremesinghe] says is his opinion and not the stand of the EU," Savage said.
Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday that the immediate release of Gen. Fonseka was a EU pre-condition for the renewal of GSP plus.
Ambassador Savage said that the EU would not take a position on any ongoing court case in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the EU Delegation to express an opinion on any such judicial proceedings, he said.
The EU Delegation confirmed an impending visit by a high level Sri Lankan delegation to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels later this month.
Discussions to be held on May 20 and 21 May will be on issues highlighted in a European Commission report on Sri Lanka’s eligibility for GSP Plus.
Source: The Island Online
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