Dr. Moragodage C.W. Pinto, specialist in international law and former diplomat and Peradeniya University graduate, presented a portion of his extensive law library to the Peradeniya University recently.
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Law, University of Peradeniya, Dr. Kalana Senaratne, and Lecturer K.M.N.C.R. Karunatilaka were present to receive this donation on behalf of the University.
Over the years Dr. Pinto has donated sections of his law library to the University of Colombo and the Kotelawala Defence University. He also sponsored a visiting professorship in International Law at the latter institution.
In 1967 Dr. Pinto was appointed as the first Legal Advisor to the then Ministry of Defence and External Affairs. He is best known for his contribution to the UN Conference on the Law of Treaties (1968-69), and the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (1967-80) where he pioneered work on the regime to govern exploration and exploitation of the resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction. He was also responsible for preparation of the materials on the basis of which Sri Lanka’s sovereignty over the island of Kachchativu was recognised by treaty, and for the negotiation of early boundary treaties concluded with Sri Lanka’s neighbours.
Dr. Pinto served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany and Austria from 1976-80. In 1981, he was invited by the Governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America to undertake management of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, an arbitral tribunal established a The Hague to resolve certain disputes that had arisen between them. Dr. Pinto then left government service to take up appointment as the Secretary-General of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, a position he held until 2011.
Since leaving the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, Dr. Pinto has been appointed to membership fo several inter-State arbitral tribunals administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
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