US vs. Lanka: ‘Whales fighting sprats,’ says Minister

Tuesday, 25 March 2014 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka takes pride in refusing to bow before American powerhouse: Nimal Siripala The US and UK are strong-arming other countries into voting in favour of the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, a senior Government Minister said yesterday, adding that the power dynamics of the international battle was akin to ‘a whale fighting a sprat’. “I met one Ambassador in Colombo who told me that the US and UK Ambassadors in Colombo had put immense pressure on them to vote in favour of the US-backed resolution in Geneva,” Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva told a press briefing yesterday. The Minister acknowledged that it was against global powerhouses like America and Britain that “tiny Sri Lanka” was waging this massive international battle. “It’s like a whale fighting with a sprat. The US is the most powerful country in the world, with the most influence over diplomatic relations and trade,” Minister De Silva charged. He said it was a “proud moment” because it was before such giants in the world that Sri Lanka was refusing to succumb. “We will not bow before this power. We stand on the side of justice,” he pledged. The Minister said it was already a victory for Sri Lanka that the US-sponsored resolution in Geneva did not include the phrase “international inquiry”. “Most countries said they would not support the resolution if those words were included. But they could change the draft at the last minute, even on 26 March,” he explained. However, the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC, which will be voted on this week, does call for an inquiry by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, which will be conducted by one or more foreign fact-finders. (DB)

Britain hopes for ‘full access’ to investigators by Lanka

Britain is hoping Sri Lanka will grant full access to investigators who will conduct a probe into allegations of rights abuses during the war, if the US-sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council is adopted this week. UK Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire, who engaged in a live Q&A on Twitter yesterday, was answering a query on how the investigation set up in the UNHRC resolution would go ahead if Sri Lanka fails to permit investigators into the country. Swire said the UK was supporting calls for an international investigation because the Government had not held a credible domestic investigation. In response to another question, the UK Minister of State noted that Britain acknowledged that reconciliation takes time, but added that the Government had not fulfilled domestic pledges made about accountability since 2009. He added that Britain was clear that the investigation must look into allegations of violations by all sides during the conflict. “The UK condemned the LTTE as a brutal terror organisation and they have been proscribed in tge UK since 2001,” he added. (DB)