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‘Solheim returned to link GoSL with separatists’

18 Oct 2022

  • Gammanpila claims climate change appointment merely a front
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader and “Independent” MP Udaya Gammanpila, while claiming that former Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim, who was recently appointed President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s International Advisor on Climate Change, has no knowledge in such, charged that Solheim’s real duty is to co-ordinate between the “separatists” and the Government. Speaking to the media, he said that Solheim was appointed Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the request of Norway, which provides a substantial amount of money to the programme, adding however, that Solheim was asked to resign from that post in November 2018, as he had spent $ 500,000 within 22 months on foreign trips. He charged that Solheim did no productive work in the post, was severely criticised by environmentalists, and also that he had seriously criticised the internal regulations of the UNEP. “Solheim who took on the separatist's desire to divide our country is back in the limelight. This time, he has come as the President’s International Advisor on Climate Change. However, he knows nothing of climate change. Why is someone with such a bad image in the field becoming the Presidential Advisor on Climate Change? His real job is not to give advice on climate change, but to co-ordinate between the separatists, who he knows well, and the Government,” he alleged. Speaking further, Gammanpila said that India has informed Sri Lanka that it is no longer able to provide aid to Sri Lanka, while China will not support Sri Lanka until a free trade agreement is signed. He also said that Japan has only agreed to restructure debt, and that Russia is not able to support Sri Lanka as it is engaged in a war, while Europe cannot support Sri Lanka, as it is suffering from an economic crisis.  In this background, Gammanpila said that President Wickremesinghe and the Government are of the view that the only force that can help them is the separatist forces.  “In fact, the popular opinion in Sri Lanka is that the main source of income for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was extortion, which is wrong. They collect funds through human trafficking, arms and antiquities smuggling, money laundering, running a shipping system, and television and radio services. Their main expenditure was for the war, which ceased in 2009. However, their income comes in as usual. They have accumulated a huge reserve of billions of US dollars. Thus, Solheim's job is to satisfy their demands and bring in their money in the form of loans and investments. We have no objection to bringing separatists’ US dollars to the country, but don’t make our country helpless by fulfilling the separatists’ demands. Do not drag the country into war again to quench hunger at this point of time,” claimed Gammanpila. Presidential Advisor on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene was not available for comment. Wickremesinghe last week appointed Solheim, who served as a mediator between the Government and the LTTE during the civil war, as his International Advisor on Climate Change. Solheim met with the President on 11 October and engaged in a discussion. Following the meeting, in a Twitter message, Solheim said that he had a progressive meeting with Wickremesinghe. He said that the President has a great vision for green economic recovery, and for Sri Lankan climate leadership. Maldivian Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has also been appointed International Climate Advisor alongside Solheim.  


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