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US to support resolution against SL

13 Feb 2012 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The United States will support a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council session in March to pressure the Sri Lankan government to address alleged war crimes, a high-ranking US government official said today.

Addressing a media briefing Maria Otero, US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights confirmed that the US will support a resolution “that provides an opportunity for the Government of Sri Lanka to describe what it intends to do to implement the LLRC’s recommendations and advance reconciliation, as well as address accountability, human rights and democracy concerns.”

“I discussed the recommendations with the President and he assured me that they were looking to implement the LLRC report in a comprehensive manner. I urged the Sri Lankan government to share the details of their plans and begin fulfilling the recommendations called for in the report, and to credibly address the outstanding issues of accountability,” Otero stated.

Otero is the most senior US government official to visit Sri Lanka since Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2005. She stated that the implementation of the LLRC recommendations could contribute to genuine reconciliation and strengthening democratic institutions and practices in Sri Lanka.

Elaborating on the move Robert O. Blake, US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, said that the US will support a “very straightforward resolution” which declares that the Sri Lankan government has not done enough to implement the LLRC recommendations, and that it should address the issue of accountability comprehensively.

The LLRC report has not covered war crimes allegations in sufficient detail, and an important part of reconciliation is accountability and investigating what happened, Blake said.

Asked whether the US had any plans of pushing for an international probe, Blake said that the US focus was currently on the UNHRC resolution and the US remained hopeful that a credible, domestic mechanism would be established. (Ayesha Zuhair)

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

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US to support resolution against SL

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