Speaking exclusively to Ceylon News in New York, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister said that the 10-year long ban “cannot be removed so easily”.

“I worked hard to bring this ban in 2006 when I was the Foreign Minister, with the full backing of the US amid lot of struggle. We will do the same in the future to keep the LTTE ban on”.

ECJ Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston, whose advice is generally adopted by judges, recommended Thursday that they reject an appeal by the Council of EU member states against the lower EU court’s decisions in late 2014 to remove the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the list of terrorist, due to procedural flaws.

The European Union Council (EUC), which represents all 28 governments in December 2014 appealed the judgment of the General Court, which annulled in October 2014 the measures taken by the council to maintain the LTTE on the European list of terrorist organisation on “procedural grounds”.

The EUC’s appeal also cited the lower court’s failure to accept its argument that the groups’ presence on the US list of terrorist justified sanctions.

Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston concluded, however, that the EU could not assume that other countries gave those it listed sufficient right of appeal and recommended the appeal be rejected.

However, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Samaraweera who is currently in the New York along with President Maithripala Sirisena said he will fight harder to keep the ban on with the support of the US.

“There are many who are involved in trying to get the LTTE deproscribed in EU nations. However, they have not been successful so far. Last month, the US took steps towards extending the LTTE ban. Whenever there were efforts to get the ban removed, Sri Lanka intervened to stop it by providing the necessary information. We will continue to do it,” Minister Samaraweera said.

(ceylonews.com)