UK will 'build international support' for March 2014

Sri Lanka

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK has international support before formally requesting that the UN Human Rights Council 

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sets up an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes during Sri Lanka's civil war; what assessment he has made of whether it will be necessary for the UK to raise the issue at UN level; and if he will make a statement. [179209]

Mr Swire: The Prime Minister was clear with the Sri Lankan President at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November that we expect real progress on human rights, reconciliation, accountability, and political settlement. The Human Rights Council will assess progress in March.

In particular, the Prime Minister pressed for credible, transparent and independent investigations into alleged war crimes and made clear that if these investigations have not begun properly by March, then we will use our position on the UN Human Rights Council to work with the UN Human Rights Commissioner and call for an international inquiry. The UK has been voted back on to the Human Rights Council and will play an active role in building international support ahead of the March Human Rights Council session. We will continue to discuss Sri Lanka with a range of other EU, Commonwealth and international partners over the coming months.

Tribunal: Bosnia war crimes prosecutions flounder

Friday Dec 6, 2013       New Zealand Herald

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia says the prosecution of war crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina is “floundering.”

Serge Brammertz expressed serious concern to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that very little progress has been made toward finalizing nine of the 13 major cases transferred to Bosnia’s state court.

Brammertz also said the state court’s unconditional release of 12 people convicted of serious crimes, including genocide in some cases, pending correction of their sentences, “poses a threat to the proper conclusion of the cases and undermines public confidence in the administration of justice.”

Bosnia’s U.N. Ambassador Mirsada Colakovic said the country’s commitment to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes “is unquestionable” and the government is working on increasing the number of completed cases.