Kerry calls upon SL to fulfill its commitments

The US today asked Sri Lanka to take meaningful action and to fulfill its public commitments on longstanding issues of reconciliation and accountability, hours after the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a Washington-sponsored resolution against the island nation.

"This resolution, which builds on a similar 2012 resolution, re-affirmed that Sri Lanka must take meaningful action on reconciliation and accountability in order to move forward," US Secretary of State John Kerry said after the passage of the resolution in Geneva, which among others was supported by India.
"The United States¸ together with international partners, calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfill its public commitments to its own people on these longstanding issues," he said.

While some important progress has been made, there is much work still to be done, he added.

"We look to the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and to reverse recent negative developments on rule of law and human rights. The United States stands ready to assist with this vital work," Kerry said.

The resolution seeks Lanka to conduct an "independent and credible" probe into allegations of human rights violations.(Outlook India)