Saturday, 31 January 2015 00:00
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The Sri Lankan Government has received encouragement from the United Nations to cooperate on an ongoing investigation into its human rights record in what will be a crucial test of reconciliation overtures by the new Government.
President Maithripala Sirisena’s senior advisor on foreign affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala met the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in Geneva and briefed him on the new Government’s policies.
The former diplomat has stated that his visit is an “exploratory visit” and had briefed the UN top officials on the policies of the newly elected President Sirisena and his Government. The meeting in Geneva has come as Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein prepares to submit a report that includes investigations into alleged war crimes to the UN Human Rights Council in March.
Sri Lanka’s previous Government under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had steadfastly refused to cooperate on what they termed as a “flawed” investigation and had insisted that any cooperation would be tantamount to a betrayal of the effort that ended the war. So politically sensitive has the issue become that even the current President preferred to largely tiptoe around the issue. However, the Government has steadfastly maintained it will implement the 13th Amendment, return displaced people to their original homes and speedily deal with the issue of political prisoners.
However, despite encouraging tones from them, the UN is still trying to verify how Sri Lanka will cooperate on the investigation. The new Government has said it will launch a domestic investigation into the war and obtain the assistance of foreign experts if required.
The UN spokesman has acknowledged they are currently trying to figure out what it means in terms of cooperation with the UN human rights investigation. The UN hopes there is positive movement in the cooperation between Sri Lanka and the UN system on the investigation.
Clearly other human rights organisations feel UN sanction of Sri Lanka’s reconciliation measures is crucial to their credibility and acceptance. In its latest report Human Rights Watch (HRW), which had hitherto held vitriolic views of the previous Government, has recognised the significant efforts made by the Sirisena administration during its brief time in power and urged for its continuance.
However, they have also joined in the chorus for the UN and other key international community players such as the US to play a stronger role in assisting Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has already spearheaded attempts to “reset” foreign relations and the presence of top British and US officials in Sri Lanka will hopefully provide crucial incentive to galvanise a process in line with the current Government’s position.
In another landmark move the Sri Lankan Government on Thursday announced plans to make a special statement on Independence Day, which falls on 4 February. The aim is to reach out to all ethnicities in an effort to put its bloody past behind and move towards reconciliation, Cabinet spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told journalists.
Sitting on an ever-shortening deadline, the new Government is scrambling as fast as it can to put in place crucial reforms that will also power the reconciliation march forward. If intentions are pure then surely the rest of the world will understand those efforts and help move them forward.
