Votes for Sri Lanka, tribute to country and President

I was first asked by the External Affairs Ministry to go to Geneva, after a lapse of a couple of years, the night the US tabled its Resolution. The reason, I believe, was the work I had done in reconciliation, since the impression the United States and its friends were trying to create was that Sri Lanka would do nothing unless it was under pressure.

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Against all odds...:

Support for Sri Lanka at UNHRC

Sri Lanka, against all overwhelming odds, achieved a remarkable feat when it secured 15 votes and managed to neutralise eight other nations against the US Resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Sessions in Geneva on Thursday.

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Despite resolution at UNHRC sessions:

World’s tide in favour of Sri Lanka

India, which is bracing to face a challenging Union Budget in the days ahead, was compelled to vote with US due to domestic political compulsions but in the speech that preceded their ‘reluctant’ vote, the Indian representative Dilip Sinha warned against any action without the concurrence of the Sri Lankan government. He said “the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights rested with States themselves”, thus, “the Council resolutions should fully respect the sovereign rights of States and contribute to Sri Lanka’s own efforts in this regard”.

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Resolution aimed at protecting US global interests - Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera

Obviously it is not a resolution prompted either by HR interests or welfare of the Tamils of Sri Lanka. The motive of the US in having the resolution adopted is their own global strategic and geopolitical interests. They had it adopted in such a great hurry because President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not give in to pressures from sections of the international community during the last phase of the war.

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