Watered down or not, Colombo does not like resolution

In defiance of the United States and India, a belligerent Sri Lanka has expressed resolute opposition to even the watered down US resolution against it in the UNHRC, and has declared its intention to seek a vote.

In a letter to the 47 members of the UNHRC, published in Sri Lankan media on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister G L Peiris said: “The government of Sri Lanka believes that drawing disproportionate attention to Sri Lanka’s situation and introducing a resolution that discredits the country, are unhelpful and counterproductive to Sri Lanka’s current reconciliation process. The beneficiaries of such action would be none other than the divisive forces that seek to destabilize the hard won peace in the country. Moreover, the precedent created by intrusive, biased and politicised actions such as the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka, would pose a danger to all nations.”

“Just as the government of Sri Lanka did not recognize the last HRC resolution (in March 2012) it rejects the new resolution. Sri Lanka intends to request a vote when the draft resolution is taken up at the Human Rights Council on March 21. Sri Lanka seeks the understanding and the support of HRC member states at the vote on the resolution.”

According to Lankan media reports, Colombo is not discouraged by the fact that 31 of the 47 countries in the UNHRC have co-sponsored the US resolution, and that it has the tacit backing of India too. Lankans have not failed to see the heavy hand of India in the new resolution, given the fact that New Delhi’s thinking on the Lankan issue is reflected in it.