Friday, 4 April 2014 00:27
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Support for Sri Lanka in domestic procedures is gathering momentum in the US Senate with two more members joining in as co-sponsors of a special resolution bringing the total to 16 now.
The two latest senators to join as Co-sponsors of the Senate Resolution 364 are Senator Dan Coats (R-Indiana) who serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the State Department and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), the former Cabinet Secretary, Governor of Tennessee, Presidential Candidate and is a senior member on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The additional support is whilst the US State Department has been lobbying to establish an international investigation in Sri Lanka. Official sources said with two more senators joining ranks to rally behind Sri Lanka reinforces the fact that there has been a growing number of US Senators who have been calling upon the US Government and the international community to be of meaningful assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka.
Growing support to Sri Lanka however comes in spite of Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Senator Robert Menedez on 19 March writing to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillai expressing his support for the resolution of UNHRC.
The growing group of Senators have called upon the US to give due regard to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, stability and security in establishing domestic mechanisms to deal with any grievances arising from actions committed during and after the civil war in Sri Lanka.
The US Senate resolution 364 which carries such a request was initially co-sponsored by 11 Senators of the US on 27 February and three more joined on 27 March bringing the total to 14 and with the latest addition the figure is 16.
They are joining the effort to support the Resolution and to call on the US President to develop a comprehensive and a well-balanced policy towards Sri Lanka.
The Resolution expresses support for Sri Lanka’s internal reconciliation process and acknowledges the significant overall progress that Sri Lanka has made since the end of the conflict, five years ago. The Resolution particularly calls on the President of the US not only to look at human rights interests in its dealings with Sri Lanka, but also consider the United States’ economic and security interests in Sri Lanka as well.
The original senators were Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming). On 27 March three more joined were Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), and Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) joined the group.
