29 February 2012 08:39 pm
The European Union (EU) yesterday stressed at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that accountability must be an essential part of any process of national reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
Addressing the High Level Segment of the 19th session of the UNHRC on behalf of the EU, Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister Villy Sovandal said that the Council should encourage the authorities to fully implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), and to engage with the United Nations on the Report of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts.
He said that accountability for past violations remain high on the Council’s agenda.
“Impunity for human rights violations is an unsolvable debt, which, if unaddressed, is transmitted through generations. No country, no society can afford this. This is true in the case of Sri Lanka where accountability must be an essential part of any process of national reconciliation,” he said.
In his speech, he extensively dealt with the human rights situation in Syria, Iran and Burma. The EU’s latest remarks on Sri Lanka were made in the backdrop of the announcement that the United States would move a resolution against the country on accountability issues. A vigorous lobbying spree has been underway by Sri Lanka and the United States here in Geneva and in the capitals of different countries to harness of their support in this case. (Kelum Bandara reporting from Geneva)