- Sweden edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Germany |
- Norway |
- Spain |
- Switzerland
'Bandwagon jumper' Bildt in Sri Lanka snub
Published: 28 Apr 09 10:58 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/19122/20090428/
Authorities in Sri Lanka have denied Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt a visa to enter the country, prompting him to recall Sweden's highest ranking diplomat from the country.
- Bildt to Sri Lanka for ceasefire talks (27 Apr 09)
- Uproar over rumoured NY consulate closure (22 Apr 09)
- Sweden joins UN racism conference walkout (21 Apr 09)
“Now those in Colombo have finally informed me that they don’t intend to accept me for the joint trip which [Britain’s] David Miliband, [France’s] Bernard Kouchner, and I have planned and announced,” Bildt wrote on his blog on Tuesday.
“The decision was given without any explanation whatsoever. And no one seems to understand what may lie behind this truly strange maneuver.”
As retribution for the diplomatic snub, Bildt added that he plans to recall Sweden’s chargé d’ affaires in Sri Lanka, Borje Mattsson, for consultations.
On his blog, Bildt said the recall was meant to send “a strong diplomatic signal” to the government in Colombo.
In Luxembourg attending a meeting of the EU foreign ministers, Bildt told reporters he didn't believe the rejection was permanent.
"I am not persona non grata because they say I am welcome at another time, but I am not intending to take up that invitation," he said.
A top Sri Lankan foreign ministry official said the government did not want Bildt to take part in a mission by his British and French counterparts.
"We invited the French foreign minister and then the British Foreign minister wanted to join him. We said OK. Then the Swedish minister also wanted to jump in on that bandwagon and we said no," the official said.
He said, however, that the visit by Miliband and Kouchner will go ahead as planned on Wednesday.
The trip was designed as a way support efforts by the United Nations (UN) by putting pressure on the government in Colombo to agree to a ceasefire which would allow civilians to leave the conflict area.
The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 civilians remain the conflict zone, while the Sri Lankan government claims number is less than 20,000.
The government on Sunday rejected a ceasefire offer by Tamil Tiger rebels, prompting the three European foreign ministers to travel to Sri Lanka on short notice.
On Monday, government forces agreed, however, to stop using heavy artillery or air strikes in fighting the rebels.
Despite being denied a visa to travel to Sri Lanka, Bildt said he thought it best that Miliband and Kouchner make the trip without him, citing the “serious humanitarian and political situation” there.
Bildt said he plans instead to travel to Tromsö, Norway for a meeting of the Arctic Council – a meeting he had originally planned to attend before the Sri Lanka mission had been announced.
External link: Savage Politics: Sri Lanka - using Bildt to break the EU »
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Police officers on hand during the Husby riot in northern Stockholm stand accused of using racist language towards people on the ground, with one youth worker in the area claiming it is "not the last time" such scenes will occur. READ () »
Man gets payout for not shaking woman's hand
A town in western Sweden has agreed to pay damages to a man who was told he wouldn't be hired if he refused to shake a woman's hand for religious reasons. READ () »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scooped up France's Ligue 1 player of the year award on Monday, with Sweden's Lotta Schelin taking home the same honour for the top French women's league. READ () »
'Husby is usually a very peaceful place'
In the wake of Sunday's night's unrest in the north Stockholm district of Husby, The Local catches up with the editor of a local newspaper to find out more about what caused residents to take to the streets and how police responded. READ () »
Topless Swedish beach bunny sparks outrage
A caricature of an amply endowed topless woman, which marks the spot on a map for a public beach in western Sweden, has caused at least one mother to see red. READ () »
Pirate Swede in 'biggest ever' hacking trial
Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg is on trial once again in Sweden for his role in committing what prosecutors believe may have been the largest data breach in Swedish history. READ () »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Youths rioted in northern Stockholm on Sunday night, setting fire to cars and throwing rocks at police, in what is believed to be a protest against the fatal police shooting of a machete-wielding man in the suburb last week. READ () »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Sweden's ice hockey team won the gold-medal match in the ice hockey World Championships against Switzerland on Sunday night, trouncing the visitors 5-1. READ () »
- 19/05 Christian Democrat support drops: poll »
- 16/05 Swedish lobbying boom prompts regulation calls »
- 16/05 More Swedes in favour of joining Nato: poll »
- 15/05 Bildt welcomes China's new Arctic Council status »
- 15/05 Borg drops resistance to EU fiscal stimulus »
- 14/05 Sweden is important to Afghanistan: Kerry »
- 14/05 Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt »
- 13/05 Extend Sweden's Afghan mission past Nato's: Bildt »
- 13/05 John Kerry to talk Syria in Stockholm visit »
- 11/05 Female Swedish MPs subject to threats: report »
| 20/05 | Application EngineerNet Entertainment | Stockholm |
| 20/05 | Application EngineerNet Entertainment NE AB | Stockholm |
| 20/05 | Business Development ManagerHays | Stockh, STHM |
| 20/05 | Certification Project ManagerNet Entertainment | Stockholm |
| 20/05 | Client Solutions EngineerInteractive Medica | Stockholm |
| 20/05 | Enterprise Risk ManagerNet Entertainment NE AB | Stockholm |
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 20/05 Unions threaten strike over English at unis »
- 20/05 Brit admits to slaying his children in France »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 20/05 Nadal crushes Federer to win seventh Rome title »
- 19/05 Swiss lose to Swedes in world ice hockey final »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
"BANG!!!! BANG!!!! BANG!!! In the midst of the Stanley Cup’s Eastern Conference semifinals series, every Bostonian knows it is all about Bruins ice hockey. Oh right. I am in Sweden, home of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation GOLD Champions. And there is certainly no doubt ice hockey fever has taken over Sweden. A lot of Swedes,..." READ »
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 13/5 22:40 Week 20 matches (Stripes News)
- 19/4 15:47 UK and Sweden sign Defence MOU (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- 19:11 Short term rental in malmö
- 17:28 Found out I'm pregnant!
- 17:23 Salary expectations for managing a busy bar?
- 17:20 Relocation to Stockholm
- 17:17 Shopping online for electronics
- 16:55 Investment market in Sweden
- 16:47 Taking bills via Autogiro without service
- 16:41 Swedish Summer Language Classes in Malmö?
- 16:30 Buying property in Stockholm
- 16:15 Need to help to choose the best place.
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
If someone wanna know the truth about how the IDPs are being taken care of by the Sri Lanka government, ask U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes who visited the IDP camps yesterday.
If someone wanna know the truth about LTTE ask any IDP who escaped from them who were held as a human shield by the LTTE.
What can Sweden threaten the Sri Lankan Govt. with for failure to honour any ceasefire? Recal the consul. So what. Restrict the export of flat-pack furniture? Scary stuff.
Sweden has to accept that it's place in the world, and in the minds of just about everybody who is not Swedish, is irrelevant. Its policy of neutrality has deprived the country of any real clout in international affairs. The Sri Lankan Govt. rightly or wrongly has proven that today.
Suren: Mr.Holmes has not been given full access to the IDP's and still is uncertain on the credibility of the people he has spoken to. (www.bbc.com). Of course, the general answer is that the BBC is biased towards the LTTE:
I think Bildt would have contributed a lot with his sense of neutrality, which is badly needed.
By the way, if anyone wants to know about the Sri Lankan government, ask any Sri Lankan who has lost a family member or relative(which is not hard to find!) to state terrorism.
I think that the SLn government has done too little too late. I was curious to know why the LTTE came into existence in the first place. Most of the rebel groups form either due to illiteracy and poverty and/or due to discrimination. According to wikipedia Sri Lankan civil war started soon after the British left SL and thereafter blown out of proportion due to the Bandaranaike's declaration of the "Sinhala Only Act" language policy. I am a bit shocked to know such an act even existed. I wonder if Sinhalese civilians supported Tamils at that time to ban such an act. If not I wonder how would a Sinhalese feel if he/she were forced to speak only Swedish in Sweden and follow only Swedish tradition and culture...... and if that feels bad it would feel even worst to be forced to follow some other tradition in your own country. Anyways as the trust in the SLn government went down a rebellion group LTTE was formed.
I wonder if the government likes to protect the innocent Tamil civilians then would they do air attacks on the trapped civilians? I wonder in how many countries were the civilians killed by there own government? And above all if the government is completely impartial towards its civilians (which I hope it is) then why wouldn't they allow foreign journalist's to cover the conflict independently?
Now that SL has not accepted any political and media intervention in there internal conflict I wonder if they will accept humanitarian aids from foreign countries or are they able enough to provide it from there own pockets?
A military "solution" is never a solution. The solution has to come through dialogues, understanding and trust in each other. And yes most important of all giving equal rights to Tamils and other minorities.
You are not the only minority group in Sri Lanka, Muslims and others too. And also Tamils live all over the country and none of Sinhalese live in North today. They all were killed. If Sinhalese are racists how come your people live in Colombo and other areas without any problems?
More than 72M Tamils are in India. They do not have a separate country and India's national language is Hindi. But Sri Lanka use Both Sinhala and Tamil as national languages. Pls do not deny. You know you are treated better in Sri Lanka than India as we do not believe cast systems. The only problem we have is poverty. It is common for you and me both regardless of our ethnicity. Finally, who killed Tamil leaders? LTTE killed all the Tamil leaders. What are you saying about these murders? What are you saying about suicidal attacks which killed thousands of innocent people?
India has a unique system. As you may know in India each state has a local language and a local state government. Thus all communities get to have there say in the local region at the same time national government helps local governments to stay together as one in spite of cultural differences. I am not sure how it is in SL. Its good if SLns do not believe in cast system, hopefully they will overcome the other differences and learn to live with brotherhood. My opinion on murders is its a barbaric act no matter who does it.
Do you think that each individual living in SL is equal and if so are you looking forward for a tamil srilankan to be the president of SL in the next election?
There still is descrimination at the highest level. And all this is done in the name of nation security and various other covers. For a Sri Lankan to have a tamil PM, is similar to asking for the world to stop turning.
The LTTE is, what was created due to the action of the SL Government. I am not an LTTE supporter. But an India who lived in Colombo. I have personally been haressed by the police. Even though I lived in an affluent area and my dad was a very senior exe in a foreign bank. There is inherent evil in their system and for that to be wiped off, they need a totally new breed of thinker. That too, cannot be seen in the near future.
In Sri Lanka when a gangster or a drug lord dies, it is the minister who are at his funerals to give praise. That is SL for all of you!
SL allowed Norway to be the mediator, but what happened in the end, the peace talk broke into a more intensive war.
LTTE have done their share of violence.... they killed so many Tamilians just because they had personal grudges nothing political just personal.
I have Tamil friends whose children were forced to become cadres for the LTTE and when the parents protested, they attacked them.
Minority discrimination is every where. And I think it is ignorant for one to assume that SL is an exception. The lay man in SL regardless whether they are Tamils or Singhalese have no anger or hatred against each other, it is this FALSE media propaganda that creates this type of mess.
This is Sri Lanka's war against terrorism.... if they are wrong doers so are USA and Israel.....
According to the news he was extended an invitation to visit SL in May.
Allegation of the denial of entry visa to Swedish FM “baseless” – Sri Lanka
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/17147
1. LTTE is now a dead force (If it still not, it will be soon). No one will agree to sign a ceasefire with a party that is at the verge of the defeat. Any attempt to pressure Sri Lanka to agree to a ceasefire will therefore be rightfully considered as an attempt to throw a life line to dying Tigers.
2. Any sane government will not agree to a ceasefire with a party like LTTE. They have proven more than once that a ceasefire to them is a breathing space to regroup, re-arm and revisit their terror tactics to cause more civilian deaths. This has happened in the past and there is no reason to believe it will not happen in the future.
Contd (see next post).
As such, UN or any other entity demanding a ceasefire right now is a joke. If LTTE has not released the trapped civilians during the last TWO ceasefires, there is no reason to DREAM they will release them during a THIRD ceasefire.
Cheers.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry says "at no instance did the Sri Lanka Government deny entry to Minister Bildt. In fact, an invitation had been extended by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, to his Swedish counterpart to visit Sri Lanka in early May".
Sri Lanka said when the visit by Britain and France , was discussed with Sri Lankan officials both at presidential and ministerial levels, there was no indication of the participation of the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.
"In addition, there is an EU-TROIKA visit scheduled to take place from 12 – 13 May 2009 where Sweden would be represented. It was in these circumstances that Sri Lanka requested that the visit of the Swedish Foreign Minister be undertaken in early May, which was communicated to the Swedish Foreign Ministry," the statement said.
Copyright © 2000, 2009 by LankaPage.com (LLC) :
please read the online book http://www.pagegangster.com/p/2Lweq/
I feel really sick when people talk about issue that they never experienced. I have experienced lot and I’m not against sinhala people but I am against the people who kill innocent people.
When confronted with the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas was brought up it was rejected.
(Continued...next post)
To accuse Bildt having his eyes on the Nobel Price is a cheap shot. The swedes by nature are very non-confrontational and nuetral in most things. We know that from WW2. A man like him, could have done more good to the country than damage and would help build some credibility with the EU. Right now, the EU looks at SL as a failed state. The LTTE have won there.
(Continued...next post)
Note: The Sri Lankan Minister LK was gunned down by the LTTE??? That is an assumption. There is no proof of that. The 2 suspects, have long been released. Typical! The minister in concern was not allowed to be the PM simply because he was a Tamil. The issues brought up within the party itself was that with threats to break up if he is made PM. This was said by none other than him. For the record: His family and son (especially) are close friends of mine.
well have you been to Sweden or live here to come up with above..
its bit 60years since the WW2 and for your information that Sweden banks been helping Nazis to over write there credits which came in to the lime light few months ago..
this guy is really after the Nobel prize as he couldn’t get it from the Bosnian war..
as British citizen and now living in Sweden as I know for a fact that brits are more involved in this war for many years than Sweden so why all of sudden this guy trying to jump in to the bandwagon...only to collect some points for the CV...
Yes, the Brits are involved in it, and it is very heartening to see that they are concerned for the civilians, But you also know that the SL government has been having isssues with the UK administration on the Tamil issue for a long time. This is where I see a person in the middle helps.
As for him going after the Nobel peace prize. We will never know that. And if that be the case, his change is only if a solution is brought about to the issue. Assuming he does so, and gets the medal...good for him and far better for the victims. Right?
I think it would have been more difficult to reprimand the Master for the SLGOV but who cares about a kneedog who so willfully stepped up to the occasion?
Ranjit said about Carl B...
"...A man like him, could have done more good to the country than damage and would help build some credibility with the EU."
Right after I had voted for him the last time modreraterna cameto power. He said in "God morgon Sverige" that:
"I know exactly how it is to be a worker in Sweden because I once worked in a supermarket for 2 weeks".
That tells me all I want to know about a man like him.
We got to let those things go and see eachother for what we are. People with different customs that does not neccessarily clash. We all love our children and family and want the best for them. No matter who was king or not a hundred or a thousand years ago we got to live with eachother today. No?
The truth is nobody is worth any more than anybody else. Everybody man, woman and child deserves respect and a happy life. Like Jesus said "treat others as you wish others would treat you". (I am a Buddhist but this is a good rule).
The difficulty is for those people who have lost a dear one in this struggle to see past their grief and anger and not let those feelings get in the way of how they bring up their kids.
/Peace
Heavy battle reported throughout the day in the areas between Mullivaikkal West and Irraddaivaikkal. Mullivaikkal hospital is to be shifted. Mullivaikkal West area was bombarded from air, sea and land. Heavy shelling continues in that area. Sri Lankan Army used cluster bombs also in the congested area.
www.lankasrinews.com