Sri Lanka rejects EU trade deal

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COLOMBO, Feb 26 (LBO): Sri Lanka has told the European Union it does not want to renew a trade deal that was withdrawn over EU concerns about human rights abuses in the island's ethnic war, a visiting EU lawmaker said. Jean Lambert, member of the European Parliament, said talks with Sri Lankan government officials indicated the island no longer wanted to renew the GSP plus trade deal giving duty free access to European markets. "Our understanding from what the government is telling us is that for (the government) this is a closed book - it does not intend to put in a further application for GSP Plus," she told a news conference. Lambert, a member of the Greens party of the UK, led a seven-member delegation of the European Parliament to Sri Lanka this week for talks with government leaders, opposition politicians and civil society representatives. They also visited northern Sri Lanka to assess the situation after the end of the island 30-year ethnic war in 2009 and visited camps for refugees. Lambert said the government wanted to put the GSP Plus issue behind it and develop fresh ties with the EU. The GSP Plus deal was not renewed last year owing to EU concerns about human rights abuses in the island and its alleged failure to comply with international civil rights covenants, charges the government has rejected. The loss of the GSP Plus deal hit garment, ceramic and fish exports to the EU. Lambert said the government had asked for EU support for small and medium enterprises and training in skills development and marketing. "The government told us that this (GSP Plus) is a closed book, let's move on and let's develop relations on a fresh basis," she said. She said the EU still has concerns regarding the human rights situation, good governance and detention of Tamil rebels and resettlement of people displaced by war. But she also said the visiting members had been impressed with the pace of resettlement and reconstruction in the north. "A number of those concerns are still there," Lambert said. "Development of a real and genuine peace settlement in which everyone can feel they have a part of is important."