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Stumble UponGSP+ termination cannot be done arbitrarily
EnlargeFeb 7, 2010 11:21 AM · Sri Lanka has said the termination of the GSP+ trade concession to the island was not a mere mechanical process that could be done arbitrarily.
It is a process that should be decided upon fully cognizant of its associated political and socioeconomic ramifications at the time of doing it, the island's top diplomat to the European Union said in a statement.
Ravinatha Aryasinghe was responding to news agency reports that EU diplomats have decided to suspend the concession to Sri Lanka over its human rights record.
He said that no formal decision on "temporary suspension" of GSP+ has been taken by the European Council and that they have time till later this month.
He said that clearly many of the concerns that had given rise to the EC's psychological impetus to review Sri Lanka's suitability for the continuance of the GSP+, have already been addressed on the ground.
Sri Lanka values its long-standing relations with the EU, and has, and will continue to engage with the European institutions in order to address the remaining issues of concern, in a manner that does not compromise Sri Lanka's national interest.
"Sri Lanka remains hopeful that better sense will prevail upon member countries of the EU, who themselves have faced similar situations in their long history and are acutely conscious of the complexity of democracies fighting terrorism - a phenomenon Sri Lanka, thankfully, has been able to overcome," he has added.
Sri Lanka gains about 150 million dollars annually due to preferential tariffs, according to trade estimates.
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