International accountability process on Sri Lanka is up to the member states: UN
Saturday, 8 February 2014 09:12
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
New York: The United Nations has said that an international process on Sri Lanka’s accountability for allegations of war crimes is a matter for the member states to decide.
Responding to a media query on a recent report released Wednesday by an Australian NGO that the majority of the war crimes were committed by the security forces, the Acting Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s call for accountability.
“We’ve made it clear that there needs to be more done to get at the heart of what happened in Sri Lanka.... and it’s clear that there continues to be a need for all the facts to be learned and for there to be a study of whether there’s any wrongdoing that’s occurred in the course of the final phases of the Sri Lankan conflict,” the spokesman said.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly said that there needs to be process to account for the allegations and the UN will continue to hold that stand, the spokesman said asserted.
When asked whether a national process is credible or an international process should be conducted by UN, the spokesman said the decision is up to the member states.
“Ultimately, it’s up to different Member States to determine whether there will be an international process. We have presented information to them and we’ve made clear what we believe is the need for accountability and we rely on the Member States’ judgment to follow through,” he emphasised.
