Tuesday, 12 November 2013 00:01
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Sri Lanka’s post as host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has forced a range of countries to make tough diplomatic decisions. Most have taken the middle road while a few such as the Canadian Prime Minister have swerved towards more extreme measures. India, perhaps, had the hardest call to make and having made it will have to face significant consequences.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has echoed the sentiments of many countries by insisting that engagement is more constructive boycotts. Hague told the BBC he understood why other leaders had chosen not to attend, but for the UK to join them would “damage the Commonwealth without changing things positively in Sri Lanka”.
Hague has argued that the intense spotlight on Sri Lanka is the perfect stage to push for stronger measures of accountability and reconciliation. He believes that the visit of UK Prime Minister David Cameron to the north, which is the first such trip by a foreign leader since independence, will focus the spotlight on issues that count.
Cameron, meanwhile, has said he will urge President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold an inquiry into the final months of the Sri Lankan civil war when they meet during the summit, which takes place from Friday to Sunday. At the moment he is reported to be planning a viewing session of the controversial Channel 4 documentary, which has been passionately denied by Colombo. Despite the fact that Cameron’s viewing comes years after they were released, the disturbing views are likely to provide deeper motivation to make the Rajapaksa regime build on the steps it has already taken.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has taken a similar view and promised to have a discussion on human rights if he gets a meeting from Rajapaksa. New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully who is to accompany Key to Sri Lanka will visit the conflict-affected north to observe progress.
There are already comments being made about Rajapaksa’s timetable and the overall agenda of CHOGM. As the organising country Sri Lanka can use all its tools to block sensitive topics coming up for discussion or at least shielding it from the glare of the local and international media already flocking to the event.
It will also have a tough task in managing delegate members and international media who will be keen to explore the controversial issues that have made Sri Lanka the talk of the world. Already two officials have had to be reprimanded and if many more such instances occur, Sri Lanka will find that it has mismanaged its time in the spotlight.
For the moment, however, things are flowing smoothly. Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s absence has earned him much criticism from popular media with its Lankan counterpart downplaying the significance of the boycott. Yet time will come when India will have to test its relations with Sri Lanka and the result may not be palatable at all for the regional superpower.
For those who have taken the more moderate path, time may come when their views will be listened to more sympathetically than India. As influence is the name of the diplomatic game, China may find itself even more welcome and the cost will be dwindling relations with India due to its own short-sighted decisions.
