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The draft resolution against Sri Lanka was adopted a short while ago. 25 countries voted for the resolution, 13 against with 8 member nations abstaining from voting
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► WATCH
3.57 pm: UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka adopted 25 – 13 with eight abstentions
The UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka has been officially adopted by the council, with 25 members voting for the motion, and 13 voting against it. There are eight abstentions. The numbers are almost unchanged from that of last year. India voted for the resolution.
India’s envoy Dilip Sinha made a strongly worded statement on Sri Lanka, saying that it was imperative that Sri Lanka implemented the recommendations of the LLRC and moved forward in accordance with the 13th amendment to its constitution.
“It is vital that Sri Lanka addresses issues like missing persons, detainees, and the return of private lands by military”, Sinha said, adding that the measures taken so far were unsatisfactory.
Sinha added that it was India’s belief that the end of the conflict provided an unique opportunity to Sri Lanka for reconciliation and the opportunity needed to be grabbed.
“India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and share thousands of years of relationship. We cannot be but untouched by what happens in Sri Lanka”, he said, adding that India would continue to enage with the country.
Sinha also urged the President of the UNHRC to accept an invitation by Sri Lanka to visit the country.
3.52 pm: Update – Japan will abstain from vote on Sri Lanka
Japan will abstain from the vote, said its envoy while asking the Sri Lankan government to move forward on the recommendations made by the LLRC, and appreciating the assurances made by President Mahinda Rajapasaka when he visited Japan earlier this year, that Provincial Council elections would be held in Jaffna.
3.49 pm: Thailand to vote against resolution, Korea to vote for
Both Thailand and Republic of Korea have expressed satisfaction with the Sri Lankan government’s steps, but while Thailand said it would vote against the resolution, Korea said it would support it.
3.42 pm: Why this obsession with Sri Lanka, asks envoy
Warning that resolutions such as that which was being brought against Sri Lanka would cause the UNHCR to suffer the same fate of its predecessor, the Sri Lankan envoy is asking “why this preoccupation with Sri Lanka on an inordinate and disproportionate level. It has been just three years and ten months since the war ended. We have demonstrated so much progress in a short period of time”, he asked.
The Lankan envoy also indirectly lashed out at the United States, saying it was only targeting countries that did not conform to its political agendas. “Today it is Sri Lanka, tomorrow it will be any country which does not adhere to the agenda of those who bring forward this resolution, who claim to stand for Human Rights the world over, while actively pursuing agendas other than Human Rights”, he said.
3.35 pm: Sri Lanka takes the floor, says ‘pessimistic’ draft is unacceptable
An extremely indignant Sri Lankan envoy has taken the floor, saying that the draft resolution is completely unacceptable to Sri Lanka. “The preambular part of the text is intrusive, replete with misrepresentations, focuses disproportionately on the negative and eliminates or is dismissive of the positive”, he said,
“There are also aspersions cast on domestic processes which are undergoing without any foundation”, he said.
3.30 pm: Venezuela slams Sri Lanka resolution as ‘hypocritical’ and ‘double standard’
Venezuela has rejected the resolution against Sri Lanka, saying that the resolution does not have any genuine cooperation or dialogue which is the cornerstone of any meaningful resolution. The envoy slammed it as being ‘hypocritical’ of ‘double standard’ and said that Sri Lanka was being targeted despite the meaningful steps its government had been taking to foster reconciliation.
He added that Venezuela would vote against the resolution.
3.27 pm: EU, Switzerland, Brazil and Sierra Leone to vote against Sri Lanka
The envoys from Ireland (speaking on behalf of the EU), Switzerland, Brazil and Sierra Leone have all welcomed the resolution on Sri Lanka as being geared towards helping the country promote national reconciliation and accountability, and have said that they will support it.
3.17 pm: India ‘urges’ Sri Lanka to move forward on reconciliation
India’s envoy Dilip Sinha is reading out a diplomatic, yet strongly worded statement on Sri Lanka, saying that it was imperative that Sri Lanka implemented the recommendations of the LLRC and moved forward in accordance with the 13th amendment to its constitution.
The 13th amendment establishes the Provincial councils in Sri Lanka, and was an attempt to devolve power from the centre. It was introduced to the Sri Lankan constitution at the behest of India in 1987, and recently was called into question when President Mahinda Rajapaksa ruled out devolution of power in the Tamil dominated North and East.
“It is vital that Sri Lanka addresses issues like missing perosns, detainees, and the return of private lands by military”, Sinha said.
Sinha added that it was India’s belief that the end of the conflict provided an unique opportunity to Sri Lanka for reconciliation and the opportunity needed to be grabbed.
“India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and share thousands of years of relationship. We cannot be but untouched by what happens in Sri Lanka”, he said, adding that India would continue to enage with the country.
Sinha also urged the President of the UNHRC to accept an invitation by Sri Lanka to visit the country.
3.10 pm: Pakistan to vote against US resolution on Sri Lanka, takes dig at India
The Pakistan envoy has said that the draft resolution against Sri Lanka was overly intrusive and interfering, adding that Pakistan was appreciative of Sri Lanka’s efforts to foster reconciliation and its continuing efforts to update the council on steps being taken in this regard.
And in what can be construed as a dig against India, the envoy said that Sri Lanka had suffered for many years from “externally sponsored terror” and said the country needed more time to right all the wrongs that had been perpetuated on it.
He added that Pakistan was of the opinion that country specific resolutions must be of a constructive nature to bear any fruitful results, and that the Sri Lanka resolution was not an example of such a resolution.
“A country like Sri Lanka needs to be helped and not chastised”, he added.
3.05 pm: United States presents the draft resolution on Sri Lanka
The resolution on Sri Lanka is being co sponsored by 41 countries, says the US, saying that Sri Lanka must take meaningful action on accountability, the deteriorating human rights situation and said that much remains to be done in terms of adopting the constructive suggestions of the country’s Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission.
The US said that they were committed to working constructively with Sri Lanka, and stood ready to assist in the effort to rectify the situation.
