Wed, Mar 20, 2013, 11:04 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Mar 20, Colombo: Sri Lanka Tuesday said it intends to request for a vote when the United States sponsored draft resolution is taken up at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday, March 21. In letters addressed to Foreign Ministers of Human Rights Council member countries, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris rejecting the new resolution has said, that Sri Lanka seeks the understanding and the support of HRC member states at the vote on this resolution.
The U.S. yesterday tabled a dressed down version of its resolution 'Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka' at the 22nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva Monday.
"Just as the Government of Sri Lanka did not recognize the last HRC resolution, it rejects the new resolution. Sri Lanka intends to request a vote when the draft resolution is taken up at the Human Rights Council on 21st March 2013," the External Affairs Minister has written.
According to Minister Peiris, the introducing a single country resolution against Sri Lanka is counterproductive at a time when Sri Lanka is working hard to establish a sustainable peace and reconciliation in the country.
"Government of Sri Lanka believes that drawing disproportionate attention to Sri Lanka's situation and introducing a resolution that seeks to discredit, single out the country and name and shame are unhelpful and counterproductive to Sri Lanka's current reconciliation process," the Minister emphasized.
"The beneficiaries of such action would be none other than the divisive forces that seek to destabilize the hard won peace in the country," he pointed out.
The Minister also cautioned the member states that such acts will set a dangerous precedent for all the countries.
"Moreover, the precedent created by intrusive, biased and politicized actions such as the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka would pose a danger for all nations," the Minister warned In his letter.
Although the final draft tabled yesterday welcomed and acknowledged the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka in rebuilding infrastructure, demining, resettling the majority of internally displaced persons, it said considerable work need to be done in the areas of justice, reconciliation and resumption of livelihoods.
In the latest version the U.S. has dropped the call for an international inquiry into the allegations of violating humanitarian laws and human rights. However, Sri Lanka expects India, pressured by the pro-Eelam Tamil political parties in Tamil Nadu and by the walkout of its ally DMK, to add tougher wordings to the U.S. resolution.
Local media quoting diplomatic sources from Geneva said that the U.S. is trying to achieve larger consensus on the new resolution as it has come under serious pressure from certain countries, including