Acsa Agreement Sri Lanka 2007 Pdf
27. November 2020
The agreement is valid for 10 years and all transactions must be agreed before the transfer. Two defence cooperation agreements between the United States and Sri Lanka, the acquisition and cross-service agreement already signed (ACSA) and the under-negotiated Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), are causing concern, criticism and controversy on the Indian Ocean island. „The categories of authorized goods and services include food, oil and transportation. The provision of weapons or ammunition systems is expressly prohibited under this agreement,“ the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. However, CASA made eight pages in 2007, in contrast to the 83-page 2017 pact. While the 2007 document allows U.S. military ships to anchor in Sri Lankan ports on a „single“ basis, CASA 2017 appears to be „open.“ Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed Parliament that SOFA was still under discussion and that his government would not sign an agreement that would undermine Sri Lanka`s sovereignty. However, as Samaranayake points out, proposed defence pacts with the United States tend to be controversial in the first place. That is what happened, for example, with India, when the United States followed logistics and communication pacts. „New Delhi has finally concluded these agreements,“ she notes. It is interesting to note that when CASA was signed in 1995, the SLFP was in power, as was the case when SOFA was signed in 2007.
„This gives the current government the opportunity to continue the pacts,“ Gooneratne said. Sri Lankans, however, remain skeptical. Part of the problem lies in the fact that there is „little information in public opinion“ about the „specificities“ of the agreements. The U.S. State Department website contains a copy of the agreement signed by Rajapaksa and then U.S. Ambassador Robert O. Blake on July 5, 2007. Given the strong opposition to it, it may seem bleak for Sri Lanka and the United States to reach an agreement on SOFA. The 10-year agreement expired in 2017 and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed Parliament that an extension would be considered. „The discussion policy agreement appears to be aimed at streamlining procedures for authorizing the U.S. military`s visit,“ said Nilanthi Samaranayake, director of strategy and political analysis at CNA, a non-profit research organization in the Washington area. What will be the position of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the candidate of Podujana Peramuna of Sri Lanka in the presidential elections, against CASA and SOFA? It was Gotabhaya, then Sri Lanka`s defence minister, who signed CASA in 2007.
The Rajapaksa family`s strong ties to the Chinese are well known. Gotabhaya stand on ACSA and SOFA is closely monitored in Washington, Beijing and New Delhi. Suspicions about sofa`s content and effects on Sri Lanka fuel the secret way in which CASA has been renewed.