Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	SRI LANKA 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	21/04/83 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	AT THE BANQUET GIVEN IN HIS HONOUR 
			BY H.E. PRESIDENT J.R. JAYEWARDENE 
			OF SRI LANKA 




Your Excellency President J.R. Jayewardene and Madame Jayewardene; Hon'ble
Ministers; Excellencies; Ladies & Gentlemen.

My wife and I are happy and privileged to be in Sri Lanka at Your
Excellency's kind invitation. Allow me to take this opportunity to thank
Your Excellency, the government and people of Sri Lanka for the warm and
friendly welcome and the generous hospitality extended to us and members
of my delegation since our arrival earlier today. I would also like to
thank you for this most delightful dinner and for your kind remarks.

2. I have looked forward very much to a visit to this beautiful
country. Although I have been here before, they were fleeting visits
during which I was able to see only a little of this beautiful and
historic Island. But this visit has afforded me the opportunity to see
much more and I am gratified and happy to find here so many things that
are common to Malaysia as well. I feel very much at home here.

3. Exchanges of visits from time to time have served to strengthen
relations between us and reflect the goodwill and close ties of friendship
which have existed over the centuries between our two countries. I am
deeply conscious that the longstanding ties between Malaysia and Sri Lanka
have been sustained by the close interaction of our peoples and the
existence of cooperation in the social, cultural, economic and technical
fields between our two governments since independence.

4. On the occasion of this visit, it is my pleasant duty to reiterate the
importance we attach to our relations with Sri Lanka and underline our
desire to further strengthen Malaysia-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. We
ought to explore areas in our bilateral relations where we could expand
our cooperation for the mutual good of our two countries.

Your Excellency, 

5. The present difficulties suffered by the developing countries because
of depressed prices for their primary products have made more urgent the
need for a New International Economic Order. But while striving for its
realisation, developing countries should participate actively in a
meaningful South-South interaction. As a strong believer in the idea of
South-South relations, Malaysia is prepared to cooperate with our
developing friends. In this regard, we have launched our own Technical
Cooperation Programme in 1980 in areas where we have the know-how and
experience that may benefit other developing countries. We have recently
updated this programme and if there is anything in the programme that is
of interest to Sri Lanka you are most welcome. Of course, we on our part
would welcome any expertise which Sri Lanka could make available to us.

6. In the multilateral context, I am happy that Sri Lanka and Malaysia
have cooperated well particularly in regard to the vital issue of
commodities. As producers of a number of similar primary commodities our
two countries face the same problem of getting fair and remunerative
prices, as well as access to markets for these produce. Consequently, our
export earnings are affected and this in turn have serious bearings on our
development efforts and social programmes. It is for this reason that we
have called for greater producers' cooperation to increase the negotiating
power of developing countries and protect their legitimate rights. We have
in this regard spearheaded the recently established Tin Producers'
Association, and I am happy that the recent Non-aligned Summit has
recognised the importance of Producers' Association. I would like to
stress here that we are not in favour of cartels. To us the manipulation
of prices by consumer countries constitute a part of a cartel
operation. The Tin Producers Association is therefore an anti-cartel
organisation that is dedicated to free and fair trading in the
commodity. We will never try to use the Association to hold the world to
ransom. Rather we would work within the Association in order that the
interest of the producers are as well protected as is that of the
consumers.

Your Excellency, 

7. In the present difficult world economic situation, it is encouraging to
see that your government has undertaken vast development projects in the
Mahaweli region to meet the energy needs, and increase agricultural
productivity of your country. I congratulate you Mr. President and members
of your government for the farsightedness in embarking on a scheme that
will no doubt bring enormous benefits to the people of your country. On
this, I am happy to note that both our governments pursue similar policies
to accelerate the economic development of our countries. Like you, we also
want to improve the quality of life of our peoples, strenghthen the social
and moral fabric of our multiracial society and lay a firm foundation for
continued stability and economic progress for future generations to come.

8. Our political outlook too is not dissimilar. In the international arena
both our countries are committed to the principles of non-alignment,
believing that the Non-Aligned Movement has an important role to play
today, in the face of increasing big power competition and the arms race,
to create a climate conducive for the return of a more stable and peaceful
world order. The recent New Delhi Non-Aligned Summit has seen renewed
awareness of the need for members to remain dedicated to the original aims
and principles of non-alignment. However, we cannot hope to achieve our
objectives if Third World countries and members of the Non-Aligned
Movement become involved in big power conflict or by themselves commit
acts of aggression with support from the big powers.

9. We hold in high regard your active support and involvement in promoting
a regional framework for cooperation in South Asia. We understand that
substantial progress has been achieved towards this end and we wish you
and the other nations of South Asia every success in this worthy
endeavour.

10. We support all efforts that would contribute to bring about world
peace. In this regard, we support your earnest effort to convene the UN
Conference on the implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as
a Zone of Peace. In Southeast Asia, we have been striving for the early
realisation of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration for a Zone of Peace, Freedom
and Neutrality. Unfortunately, the continued illegal occupation of
Kampuchea by the Vietnamese poses a serious obstacle to the realisation of
the concept and a dangerous threat to peace and stability of the
region. It remains our paramount goal that all Vietnamese forces must
withdraw from Kampuchea and that the Kampuchean people be allowed to
determine their future without external coercion or interference through
free elections in accordance with the Declaration of the ICK and other
relevant resolutions of the United Nations. It is our belief that the
formation of the Government of Democratic Kampuchea under the Presidency
of Prince Norodom Sihanouk offers a viable alternative to continued
confrontation and constitutes a positive step towards the peaceful
solution of the problem. Your government's support of our efforts in this
regard is highly valued and appreciated.

Your Excellency, 

11. Malaysia deplores strongly the current Vietnamese offensive in
Kampuchea against forces of the U.N. recognised government of Democratic
Kampuchea and helpless civilian Khmer population. We strongly condemn
Vietnamese transgression of Thai territory and casualties inflicted on
Thai forces and civilians. This has happened in the past and I am afraid
it will happen in the future as long as the Vietnamese continue with their
illegal occupation of Kampuchea and resist the United Nations calls for a
peaceful resolution of the Kampuchean conflict. As we have underlined in
various international fora, Vietnamese operations along the
Kampuchean-Thai border threaten to spill over into Thailand and raise a
spectre of war in the region and invite big power involvement. We would
like the international community to join us in a call for immediate
cessation of Vietnamese military actions along the border and reiterate
our demand for total Vietnamese withdrawal from Kampuchea.

12. As in the case of Kampuchea, Afghanistan too is the victim of foreign
intervention and occupation. We strongly condemn the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan and fully support the resolutions of the OIC, the Non-Aligned
Movement and the United Nations, calling for the restoration of the
independence and sovereignty of Afghanistan and of its Islamic and
non-aligned character.

13. With regard to West Asia, Malaysia strongly deplores repeated and
blatant acts of aggression committed by the Israelis against the Arab
people and their lands. We believe that a just and durable peace in the
region can only be achieved on the basis of the restitution of the rights
of the Palestinian people to an independent state of their own under the
leadership of their sole and legitimate representative, the PLO; the total
Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories; and the
unconditional return of Holy Jerusalem to Arab and Islamic sovereignty. We
welcome the Fez Declaration of September 1982 as a positive contribution
to the search for peace in West Asia.

Your Excellency, 

14. May I say once again that it is a pleasure to visit your
many-splendoured country. The excellent arrangements that have been laid
down for us are greatly appreciated. We look forward to an enjoyable and
memorable stay.

15. I am confident that the goodwill and strong ties of friendship that
have been nurtured over the years will facilitate our common desire to
forge greater cooperation for the mutual good of our two countries.

16. May I now invite Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen to join me in
a toast to the continued good health and success of His Excellency
President J.R. Jayewardene and Madame Jayewardene, for the continued
progress and prosperity of Sri Lanka and the friendship and cooperation
between our two governments and peoples.