The International Criminal Court and the fight against terrorism Sri Lanka, a founder member of the Non-Aligned Movement, is deeply concerned about current developments in the security situation in our immediate neighbourhood of South Asia.
Cooperation requires security and peace.
Sri Lanka will do all it can to help develop an ambience of security and confidence in the region and to remove the causes for anxiety as to the security situation prevalent in the region. The security of South Asia cannot be considered in isolation. The present situation in our region reinforces the necessity for serious and sustained efforts to be made by the entire international community to achieve global nuclear disarmament, leading to total elimination of nuclear weapons without which peace and security will continue to be in constant jeopardy everywhere. My delegation is particularly pleased at the progress achieved by the NAM Panel of Experts set up in New York last year following an initiative taken by Sri Lanka at the New Delhi Ministerial Meeting last year. I do not have to emphasize the rationale for establishing the Panel, as all of us are fully aware of the background to the proposal as well as the benefits we stand to gain through the important work undertaken by the Panel.