Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 08:49 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Mar 25, Colombo: Sri Lanka President's special human rights envoy, Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe says that the resolutions adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva in 2012 and 2013 are not indicative of an agenda to promote and protect human rights. Samarasinghe says that the second resolution adopted on March 21, does not change the Sri Lankan government's position. The government will go on with its programme and be open about the progress, he said.
"The second resolution does not change the Government of Sri Lanka's position. We will go on with our programme and be open about our progress," Samarasinghe said.
"We noted that there is a political or other extraneous agenda at work," he added.
However, he noted that Sri Lanka managed to garner considerable support at the UNHRC during the vote on the resolution although most member states were under considerable economic and political pressure.
"We have launched the National Plan of Action to implement the recommendations of the LLRC, we have continued with implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan, we have successfully engaged in the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva at which we opened ourselves for scrutiny by the international community, we have done so much in terms of our resettlement programme, demining, livelihood restoration, infrastructure development, resuscitation of the economy in the north and in the east, we have rehabilitated and reintegrated ex-combatants. I think that is substantial, real and tangible progress. Even on issues of accountability, we have taken action with our legal framework -which is still ongoing," he explained.