Govt. pushing Sri Lanka towards international isolation: Ruwan

The Government’s duplicitous and erratic foreign policy is costing Sri Lanka its friends in the world, propelling the country towards the kind of isolation faced by North Korea and Iran, the main Opposition United National Party warned yesterday.

UNP Gampaha District Member of Parliament Ruwan Wijewardene told a press conference yesterday that the Government’s total rejection of the UNHRC resolution adopted against Sri Lanka in March, would have repercussions for Sri Lanka’s standing in the world

“As a UN Member state, Sri Lanka enjoys privileges and also has its share of obligations. As a UN Member state, Sri Lanka has to accept the decision of the majority of the Human Rights Council,” Wijewardene told journalists. He said the crux of the resolution was calling on the state of Sri Lanka to respect the human rights of all its peoples and implement the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

The UNP Parliamentarian said that the Government’s rejection of the resolution was tantamount to a rejection of human rights and its own Commission report on the war.

“What is the Government trying to say when it claims it is rejecting the resolution? That it will not hold a poll in the north by September? That it is rejecting its own LLRC report? That it will not safeguard judicial independence?” Wijewardene charged, saying it was these remedies that the US-backed resolution had called for.

Wijewardene accused the ruling Government of playing to the gallery domestically while spending millions on foreign firms to build relations with foreign Governments who their actions had alienated.

“This Government’s policies are costing us the US, India and Europe. If this goes on, the Government can follow the lead of countries like North Korea and Iran who are increasingly facing isolation in the world and the UN,” he warned.

He said the UNP was calling on the Government to fix the problem by pursuing engagement with countries that voted against Sri Lanka in Geneva.

“Sri Lanka needs to change its foreign policy. Implement the LLRC and challenge international action against the country that way,” Wijewardene said. (DB)