We are ready to support Sri Lanka – UK

Britain on Monday said that if the Sri Lankan government has begun a genuine and credible domestic process into the alleged war crimes claims, properly by March 2014, it would give it its full support to the Sri Lankan government.

Speaking in UK Parliament Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire stated, “We have also highlighted that any domestic process should be credible, independent and transparent to be accepted by the international community. We do not believe that any of the processes established to date by the Sri Lankan Government—such as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission—meet these standards.”

He also said that in her September 2013 oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said she had ‘detected no new or comprehensive efforts to investigate’ alleged war crimes during her visit to Sri Lanka.

“At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November, the Prime Minister, subsequently made clear to President Rajapaksa that unless a credible national accountability process has begun properly by March 2014, we will use our position on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international investigation. If a genuine and credible process has begun properly by March 2014, we would give it our full support,” he added.

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)