Sri Lanka at UNHRC - guilty till proven innocent?

Sunday February 26, 2012

By Lasanda KurukulasuriyaThe maneuverings by western powers in relation to Sri Lanka in advance of the 19th sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva have given rise to much speculation. The latest move has been an email dated 21 February, apparently circulated by the US mission to Council members and diplomatic missions in Geneva, that sought to create the impression that US diplomats have been in close contact with the government of Sri Lanka and its mission in Geneva to work "collaboratively" on issues of accountability and the implementation of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission Report.

Sri Lanka at UNHRC - guilty till proven innocent?

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN, Tamara Kunanayakam, in a swift responsehas written to Council members alerting them to what she described as an "inaccurate and misleading" communication. She said the email "obliquely canvasses the position of a co-sponsorship of a resolution and conveys a false impression that Sri Lanka is working with the United States on this resolution. "

Stating that neither the government nor its mission in Geneva ever worked with the US on any resolution, the Sri Lankan envoy reiterated the government's position that such a resolution would be "unnecessary, unhelpful and counterproductive."read more..