"Sri Lanka will not succumb to western pressure"- Wickremanayake

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 01:31 GMT]
"Western powers have been exerting pressure to Sri Lanka to start negotiation with 'terrorists' as a condition to provide economic assistance. I categorically state that Sri Lanka will not succumb to any such pressure," declared Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sunday addressing an event to mark the release of two Sinhala translation of books on Kandahar area in Pakistan, sources in Colombo said.

The event was organized by the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo.

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake further said, "No western country is prepared to start negotiation with Osama Bin Laden who has been declared as a terrorist by the western powers. How can they ask us to speak with the terrorist group in our country? Powerful western countries fear Osama Bin Laden. Justice should be meted out to all alike," he said.

He added the western powers should not play with our self respect. "We cannot succumb to such pressure. We are firm that terrorism should be eliminated not only from Sri Lanka but from the whole world."