US explains human rights resolution against Sri Lanka
Washington: The US is going ahead with its resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as the Rajapaksa government has failed to fulfill its international obligations, which it promised after the fall of the LTTE, the Obama Administration said.
Without naming any one, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, on Monday, told reporters at her daily news conference that the US is working with a lot of governments who share its concerns about the lack of progress in Sri Lanka.
“It is not a surprise to the government of Sri Lanka that we are doing this. We made clear publicly and privately that this was a response to the fact that we just didn’t see the kind of movement that was necessary.
We didn’t see promises fulfilled. So we’re being very transparent with the government of Sri Lanka and we’re expecting strong support for the resolution that we’ve put forward,” Ms Nuland said.
“I remember when the (Sri Lankan) Foreign Minister was here last year and met with (the then) Secretary (of State, Hillary) Clinton, she made clear that if we didn’t have progress, we would go forward, and that’s what we’ve done,” she said.
The Sri Lankan government needs to fulfill its promise and international obligations, she said when asked about the views of the critics of the American resolution that this would boost the morale of pro-LTTE groups in the country and the world over.
“The best thing that the government of Sri Lanka could do for its own people and to undercut the claims of these groups would be to fulfill the obligations that it made to the international community to take the process forward. So that hasn’t happened and we are taking more measures in the Human Rights Council to make clear that progress has been insufficient,” Ms Nuland said.
The US had adopted a similar resolution last year with India’s support which bound Sri Lanka to make rapid progress on reconciliation with Tamils.
Sri Lankan forces had crushed LTTE in May 2009 after nearly three decades of brutal fighting. The conflict claimed up to 1,00,000 lives, according to UN estimates, and both sides are accused of war crimes. (PTI / NDTV)
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“I remember when the (Sri Lankan) Foreign Minister was here last year and met with (the then) Secretary (of State, Hillary) Clinton, she made clear that if we didn’t have progress, we would go forward, and that’s what we’ve done,” she said.”
COMMENT:
When we were schoolboys, were were told if we did not do our homework, we will be caned.
Sri Lanka has defeated the LTTE Terrorism it has spawned on its own congratulations. Now do not repeat and move on.
A majority of the countries cannot be mislead forever. Sri Lnaka did get some support from 32 countries to defeat the LTTE. However, what all these countries say is that Sri Lanka never wanted to do its home work at their pace, and accept responsibly, as there were two parties, LTTE and GOSL.
But now only GOSL is left. So, GOSL is running out of excuses. irrespective of the US Atrocities sin Iraq and Elsewhere, and Indian Atrocities in Kashmir.
Advise Obama to visit SL and see the truth from his own eyes.
Sri Lanka has a government elected by its citizens rather than US or UK or its “state terrorist” allies. Sri Lankan government will operate as per the citizens’ wishes and not as per US wishes.
“International” humanitarian law will very well apply to US and UK because their human rights violations and atrocities were carried out at “international” grounds on “international” citizens, outside US (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Sudan, Libya etc).
But those “accusations” on Sri Lanka are not relevant to “international” humanitarian law since none of those “accusations” were of “international” nature. They were all domestic affairs and only “domestic humanitarian law applies. By the way, they are “accusations” only without any hard proof. A doctored video clip is not taken as “proof” at courts.
Hey US, you are standing on your own tail but blaming others for that!
“Pot calling kettle black” is pretty regular in US, and Sri Lanka should not give a damn about this US resolution. SL should just carry on with their day-to-day business like nothing happened. Jokers and monkeys can have a party in UN at their own expense.