UN General Assembly
1997

luring children for war must be condemned by all civilized States, without any room for equivocation or doubt, and must be eliminated from our world if we are to preserve our humanity. I appeal to the affluent countries in which the LTTE has established offices and raises funds to prosecute its infamous war in Sri Lanka not to tolerate its presence or give it shelter when it engages in the commission of dastardly crimes against children — indeed, the children of its own community. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, I greatly welcome the appointment of a distinguished Ugandan diplomat, Mr. Olara Otunnu, as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to study the impact of armed conflict on children. His appointment has also been welcomed by Canada. The Canadian Foreign Minister also referred to and condemned the recruitment of children as soldiers. We must give our wholehearted support to Mr. Otunnu. He intends to propose and initiate concrete measures to tackle the problem. He will launch a campaign of public advocacy to bring to the notice of the world the