The Sunday Leader reported last year:
On the 16th of December, Adam Werrity, the personal aide to British Secretary of Defence Liam Fox arrived in Sri Lanka. He arrived in advance to vet the arrangements that were being made for Liam Fox’s visit when he was expected to make the keynote speech at the Lakshman Kadirgamar commemoration. He first met with Mrs Suganthi Kadirgamar to go over the arrangements.
Werrity received an urgent message early next morning from England where he was informed that the visit to Sri Lanka by Liam Fox was suspended and that he should keep the Sri Lankan government advised. Adam Werrity then met with External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris and Sachin Waas Gunawardene, Monitor, External Affairs, the next morning to pass on this information. He also changed his travel arrangements and was to leave Sri Lanka later that day. Minister G.L Peiris and Sachin Waas Gunawardene had then requested him to change the status of the cancellation of Liam Fox’s visit to Sri Lanka into a ‘postponement’ in order to prevent embarrassment to the government of Sri Lanka.
Accordingly Adam Weritty kept Liam Fox informed and the official version was changed to ‘postponed’. His visit was postponed for the next year and his speech too would be made during an official visit to be scheduled in 2011 the communiqué added. The official communiqué also stated that as his visit to the Gulf had been extended hence his inability to visit Sri Lanka at this time.
Though Liam Fox’s visit to Sri Lanka to deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar commemoration lecture was one of a private nature, the British Press had been critical of it nonetheless. Liam Fox came under criticism by his own party, when he was in the opposition for speaking favourably of the Sri Lankan government on his visits to the island, some undertaken at the invitation and expense of the host nation. His website states that these private visits to Sri Lanka were at the invitation and cost of the Sri Lankan government. Costs have been borne by Sri Lanka Development Fund. Who administers this fund is in question.The site depicts his visits overseas as such: His private visits to Sri Lanka and his seemingly close ties with the government of Sri Lanka was cause for concern to British Foreign Secretary William Hague. The media had hinted that these visits though of a private nature would have an adverse impact on British Foreign Policy and interests according to William Hague. The media was of the view that Hague’s concerns were the cause of the cancellation. Though Liam Fox had announced that he would visit Sri Lanka in his official capacity the following year, William Hague was to issue a statement that he would be sending a special envoy next year to Sri Lanka for a first hand observation of conditions here. Accepting that Liam Fox’s connections with the government of Sri Lanka could be useful to William Hague in sending a special envoy independently, he was making a statement that these private visits would not impact on British Foreign Policy. Reading between the lines one can deduce that future dealings between the British government and Sri Lanka at an official level would be through the special envoy.
We also read about the Sri Lankan leaders paying Bell Pottinger and Liam Fox:
This is not good news to the Rajapaksa administration. Thus far it had used Liam Fox and the British Public Relations firm Bell Pottinger to smoothen relationships between the two nations. The failure of this strategy was seen during the President’s recent visit to London. Public funds are spent to meet the bills of Bell Pottinger as well as the cost of Liam Fox’s visits to Sri Lanka and the results of these expenses have not yet borne fruit. Still our Ministers are running behind Bell Pottinger to draw in investors to Sri Lanka. It is reported that Minister of Fisheries Rajitha Senaratne had commissioned this company to find investors for deep sea fishing and canning of fish. They are using Wasantha Basnayake, the former Managing Director of the now defunct Union Trust and Investments, a company that defrauded public funds deposited with them. Basnayake was found guilty and sentenced to four years imprisonment but fled to England avoiding arrest.
Some officials within the Sri Lankan High Commission in London are disturbed by such associations and are in the process of petitioning President Rajapaksa. They have unearthed information of commissions to be paid and the unhealthy relationship between Bell Pottinger and such shady characters. However the President may have realized by now that international relations cannot be furthered through personal visits or by using a public relations company. His approach is also seemingly softer towards international opinion, particularly those of the western world in relation to the human rights issues that have been raised in the past.
