Japan to help lankan reconciliation efforts

Sri Lanka should look towards the future as well while looking back at what happened during the final days of the armed conflict, Japanese Ambassador Kenichi Suganuma said today.

“Some people are of the opinion it is necessary to seek the truth in the aftermath of an armed conflict while others say one must look towards the future without solely engaging in finding out what happened in the past,” he told a news conference.

The Ambassador said Japan would assist Sri Lanka in its efforts at bringing about peace and reconciliation no matter what kind of mechanism the government decided to adopt.

He said a mechanism to find the truth and bring about reconciliation would not be a straight forward process.

When asked by journalists whether the Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi would play a role in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process, the Ambassador said Mr. Akashi would be available if there was a request made by the Sri Lankan Government.

“But I cannot speak on behalf of Mr. Akashi,” he said. 

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