TNA welcomes UN Resolution

The Tamil National Alliance has welcomed the adoption of a US-sponsored Resolution on Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Government's co-sponsorship of it, indicating the willingness to implement it in full.

"We hope that the spirit of cooperation that enabled consensus will animate the government's work in implementing this historic resolution," the TNA said, in a media release.

The statement said: "The Resolution reflects a difficult consensus, and involved the weakening of some paragraphs in the original Draft Resolution and the strengthening of others. We are deeply mindful that any perceived compromise causes hurt to those most traumatized by the horrific crimes that have been committed in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the Resolution - if implemented - provides a genuine opportunity for real progress on accountability and reconciliation. We are grateful to the co-sponsors of the Resolution for engaging with the TNA throughout the process, and accommodating our concerns and views.

"We welcome the Resolution's encouragement of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner's Report. In this regard, we urge the government to implement the Resolution in a spirit of honesty and cooperation, in particular, the Council's affirmation of the need for the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers in a court enabled to try international crimes, through a Special Counsel for prosecutions," it added, laying particular emphasis on the critical importance of a political settlement through necessary constitutional measures.