The Tamil National Alliances has welcomed the draft text of a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council tabled by the co-sponsors yesterday.

“In particular, we welcome the draft resolution’s call on Sri Lanka to involve foreign and Commonwealth judges, lawyers, investigators and defenders in a judicial mechanism to be set up in Sri Lanka that would be mandated to try international crimes,” the TNA said in a statement issued late yesterday.

The TNA said the resolution constituted a significant victory for justice in 

Sri Lanka.

“The TNA is committed to help the Government and international stakeholders evolve such a court, and will support its work,” the statement said.

The TNA also noted its appreciation of the Government’s assent to the resolution text and its willingness to co-sponsor it at the Human Rights Council.

“A court established on these lines would represent a dramatic break from the past and could herald the beginning of an end to impunity,” the TNA statement said.

The TNA said that the draft resolution tabled yesterday was the product of a difficult consensus. “We are acutely aware that some of the language used in the interests of a consensus will not satisfy all victims of the conflict whom we represent and who have reposed their trust in the TNA. However, we are of the view that the draft provides a constructive starting point for what will inevitably be a long road to reconciliation,” the party said.

The TNA also thanked the co-sponsors and all other Government and non-government stakeholders who stayed true to their convictions. The party said it recognised that “the hard work of implementing the Government’s commitments and winning back the trust of victims begins now.”

The TNA stands ready to support such efforts, the statement said.