Major portion of LLRC report implemented:
External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunathilaka Amunugama said if the US brings a resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva, the country was prepared to defend itself.
Amunugama said the country will participate in the Geneva sessions this year in a backdrop where many countries including India have indicated their satisfaction on the progress made by Sri Lanka in the area of post-war reconciliation. "Sri Lanka has a clear-cut story to tell the world about its post-war reconciliation process," Amunugama said.
He said a comprehensive report outlining Sri Lanka's national reconciliation effort with progress indicators, is currently being prepared under the supervision of the External Affairs Ministry ahead of the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva in March.
Amunugama said the report was being prepared even as US state officials, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Vikram Singh and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman arrived in the country on Saturday.
Sri Lanka is to face a review of its national reconciliation process at the Geneva sessions, which will be centered on its progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report and the National Human Rights Action Plan.
Asked to explain the situation surrounding Moore's recent statement that the US will sponsor what was described as a procedural resolution against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming Geneva sessions, Amunugama said the envisioned procedural resolution is to be built upon the previous UN resolution which the US sponsored against Sri Lanka in March 2012, the US state officials had reportedly told the media.
Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayaka said Sri Lanka has implemented a major portion of the recommendations in the LLRC report already. "Even the time frame for action has been given to relevant ministries," he said.
"Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga has clearly stated that there are some recommendations in the LLRC report that cannot be implemented instantly, and they will be implemented once the necessary background has been created for their implementation.," he said.
Asked as to why certain US and Canadian state officials have raised concerns about the independence of judiciary in Sri Lanka, Samaranayaka said this was mainly due to various disinformation campaigns launched against the government by certain anti-government elements, political parties, NGOs and LTTE sympathisers.
'These elements went on to highlight during the impeachment of the former Chief Justice that the government had disregarded a Court order against the Parliamentary Select Committee findings on the impeachment charges," he said.
"The foreign countries need only to look at the origins of the impeachment and the provisions of the Constitution to remove a Chief Justice.
It was at the time that the impeachment motion was being mooted in Parliament that Speaker Chamal Rajapaks had ruled that Parliament was not bound to abide by the orders of the Court to carry out the impeachment process , which is an exclusive matter for the legislature under Sri Lanka's Constitution," Samaranayaka said.
CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE
Source: Daily News (31st January2013)
