By: Gagani Weerakoon
The government yesterday said the US- sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva could not achieve anything positive except to spread hatred, distrust and violence among South Asian nations.
External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, participating in the debate on the Resettlement Authority (Amendment) Bill told Parliament that of the 32 co-sponsoring nations of the resolution, 29 were European and two were American with one African nation. He added that this shows the geographical dimension of the issue. Its origins are not from the Asian Continent. “They brought this resolution against a single country. To bring in such a resolution, the proponents must have evidence to prove it,” he said.
“When I met with American officials recently, they informed me that the US would bring in a resolution which would be procedural, and assured me it would be balanced. They promised to include the positive achievements that Sri Lanka had made in the aftermath the conflict, and the handling of resettlement and rehabilitation. Yet the final draft had not highlighted the positive elements,” Minister Peiris said.
“I would like to ask the sponsors of the resolution if they are happy now. You do not have to look far to see the consequences of the resolutions again Sri Lanka. Look what has happened in India. The country is politically divided in unprecedented proportions. The resolution and India’s decision to vote for it had become a motivation for violence,” he further said.
Source: Ceylon Today (22nd March 2013)
