Sports to promote peace, says President

[June 5, 2006 - 11.00 GMT]

Sports can be used to achieve peace, as even in historic times during great sporting events, such as the Olympics, warring parties observed a break in fighting, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.

The President was speaking at a ceremony in Homagama, where he laid the foundation stone for a 149 acre international standard sports complex to be named after him.

“We believe that good leadership qualities could be cultivated through sports and my Government will do its best for the improvement of sports,” he said.

President Rajapaksa said his government’s intention was to create peace without war and paid tribute to slain Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who worked towards the banning of the LTTE internationally.

“The Tigers killed Kadirgamar at a stage when he carried out the campaign against the LTTE atrocities abroad. However now a large number of countries have banned the LTTE”.

The President said that everyone needed peace and that the dividends of peace could also be celebrated as sports victories are celebrated.

Under the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ all regions in the country will be developed, said President Rajapaksa, who further said an express highway will also be constructed between the North and the South in the future, like the highway project in the South. Discussions on this project are being held with the World Bank.

Ministers Anura Piyadarshana Yapa, Jeevan Kumaratunga, Dinesh Gunawardene,
A. H. M. Fowzie and Susil Premajayantha, deputy Minister Arjuna Ranatunga and UNP parliamentarian Bandula Gunawardena also spoke at the ceremony.