Australia rejects US resolution while India keeps mum

by Manjula Fernando

India continues to remain silent over its official stance on US sponsored negative resolution on Sri Lanka, while the Sri Lankan team conversed with key member groups during the past few days to drum up support and convince the friendly states to see how far the country has progressed after the end of terrorism.

However Australia rejected co-sponsoring the negative resolution on Sri Lanka and last week Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said, "We encourage all parties to take a constructive approach to assist the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka."

Sri Lanka team led by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha met Latin American, Asia-Pacific, OIC and African groups during the past week to show them how this resolution will cause harm to small members of the council, a senior foreign office official said.

He said the members need to be perturbed over the comment by HR High Commissioner Navi Pillay that she can order investigation into any country, which is an overstepping of her mandate.

Minister Samarasinghe also briefed the Non Aligned Movement Geneva group and was expected to return to the country yesterday. External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Pieris and President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga were expected to arrive in Geneva to attend the rest of the sessions and a possible vote on the resolution on March 28.

The official said the final draft of the resolution was tabled by the US before its deadline on Friday evening Geneva time.

The revised draft of which much remains in its original form, calls upon the Government to initiate a 'credible investigation into the allegations of human rights violations and hold accountable those responsible'.

While welcoming the proposal by Pillay for a truth seeking mechanism, the US resolution has also called on the Government to implement the recommendations in Pillay's report which proposes an 'independent and credible international investigation' in the 'absence of a credible national process'.

It also proposes a mandate for the High Commissioner to monitor the national process which the official said, amounted to interference in the internal affairs of a country.

It is confusing but the resolution seem to have fallen short of pressing for an international inquiry at this point and has extended the time for Sri Lanka's domestic process to continue further.

Senior diplomatic sources said this may be a ruse by the proponents. "If the resolution is softer, we have a good chance of losing it. If the resolution is strong we can lobby a lot."

The resolution is co-sponsored by Mauritius, Macedonia, UK and a non member - Montenegro.

Mauritius's Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam boycotted the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Colombo last November. It was alleged a pro-LTTE diaspora meet, a lobbying exercise organised by some LTTE leaders was instrumental in this decision.