Reconciliation “top-most” priority for President and PM: Lanka tells UNHRC

• New Govt. has mended fences with international community, says Lankan Envoy
• Ambassador Aryasinha says Govt. will cooperate with UN to uphold rights in Lanka

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have placed reconciliation and development as the new Government’s “top-most” priorities, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha told the Human Rights Council yesterday. 

Presenting the country statement for Sri Lanka during the presentation and interactive dialogue on the OISL report at the 30th session of the council last afternoon, Ambassador Aryasinha said an “epoch-making” event had taken place in the island at the Presidential Elections on 8 January this year. 

“From a culture of impunity where the rights of the individual had been violated for almost a decade, the people sought to change to a new Sri Lanka, where ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity is respected, celebrated and valued; and independent democratic institutions, freedom of expression, the rule of law, good governance and the promotion and protection of all human rights - both civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights are upheld.  

Ambassador Aryasingha said efforts had been launched immediately to restore and renew Sri Lanka’s relations with the international community as a whole.

“Soon after the Parliamentary Election on 17 August, the President and the Prime Minister worked to forge a National Unity Government that is essential for the political and policy stability required for reconciliation to succeed,” he added.

 He said the Government stood for human rights, equality and justice.

“The spirit of the Government that I represent is to build a nation that is prosperous, a nation where the human rights of all individual citizens are protected, a nation which is a responsible member of the international community, a nation that is confident, respecting the universal values of freedom, equality and justice, and a nation that is at peace with itself and with the world,”  the Sri Lankan Envoy said, expressing markedly friendlier sentiments than the council has been used to from the Government during its engagement under the previous regime.

 Ambassador Aryasingha said that Sri Lankan will work with the High Commissioner, his office, systems and procedures of the Human Rights Council and the international community including its bilateral partners to take necessary steps to safeguard and uphold the human rights of all its citizens. “This includes obtaining their advice and assistance,” he said.

 He pointed out that Sri Lanka had worked with the main co-sponsor of the resolution and other members of the council to achieve consensus.