The Globe and Mail
The Harper government is dispatching a delegation to Sri Lanka as it presses the country to launch a post-war reconciliation with its Tamil minority.
Sending the delegation to Sri Lanka, which has sometimes restricted access for foreign officials, is intended to underline Ottawa’s keen interest, which includes lobbying other nations to back a United Nations resolution calling on the country to act on human rights.
It is the latest measure in the Conservatives’ turnaround from reluctance to criticize the Sri Lankan government during its civil war with the Tamil Tigers, which the Tories banned as a terrorist group, to one of Colombo’s most vocal critics.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is sending three representatives, MPs Rick Dykstra and Chris Alexander – a former ambassador to Afghanistan – and new senator Vern White. They will conduct a kind of fact-finding mission intended to shape the government’s next steps in dealing with Colombo, a government source said. Full Story>>>
