British Govt. wants Sri Lanka to fully cooperate with the resolution
Wednesday, 2 April 2014 00:13
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The British Government is pleased with the outcome on the UN resolution it co-sponsored on Sri Lanka and strongly believes that it was the right decision, the British parliament was told yesterday.
Foreign Secretary William Hague updating UK parliament on the resolution adopted on 27 March at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) calling for an international investigation into Sri Lanka, expressed hope that the Sri Lankan government will embrace the opportunity to address the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Hague said the UK was an important co-sponsor of the resolution, alongside the US, Montenegro, Macedonia and Mauritius, and the Prime Minister David Cameron has committed the UK to calling for an international investigation following his visit to Sri Lanka last year where he witnessed the situation on the ground first hand.
“The passing of this resolution sends an important and strong message to the Sri Lankan Government - that they must address the grievances of the recent past in order to help secure lasting peace and reconciliation, and a prosperous future for all the people of Sri Lanka,” he told UK lawmakers.
“The resolution represents a significant step forward in ensuring the truth is established for the Sri Lankan people.” The Foreign Secretary said that by voting in favour of the resolution, the international community has shown that it has listened to the many independent voices, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights herself and domestic support in Sri Lanka, calling for an international investigation and helped the UNHRC to establish a strong and unambiguous resolution.
He assured the assembly that the UK will continue to work with the UNHRC and its international partners to ensure proper implementation of the resolution.
“We encourage the Sri Lankan Government fully to co-operate with the resolution, and to work alongside the international community for the benefit of its people,” Hague said.
He said the resolution will help to address the legitimate concerns of all communities and presents an opportunity to tackle the root causes of conflict, continued human rights concerns and set Sri Lanka on the right path for reconciliation.
“We hope that the Sri Lankan Government will embrace that opportunity,” the Foreign Secretary said.
The Sri Lankan Government has flatly rejected the “unethical” and “intrusive” UN resolution as a conspiracy by interested parties “seeking a regime change” and a blow that would only hurts Sri Lanka’s reconciliation efforts.
