Colombo/New Delhi: Sri Lanka on Tuesday requested
India to "reconsider" its support for a US-backed resolution,
censoring Colombo at the UN Human Rights Council, a day after
New Delhi said it is "inclined to" vote in favour of it.
Lankan Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris telephoned External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna and requested him to reconsider
India`s decision to vote in favour of the resolution against
Colombo at the on-going UNHRC session in Geneva, official
sources said in New Delhi.
Peiris, who is currently in Geneva to drum up support,
assured Krishna that Lankan government will look into the
cases of alleged violation of human rights during the
country`s civil war against the LTTE which ended in May 2009
with the elimination of the Tamil Tigers` top leadership.
The Lankan minister also underlined that India is his
country`s close neighbour and hoped that New Delhi will assess
its request favourably in view of the "excellent bilateral
relations" between the two countries, sources said.
Sri Lanka is bitterly opposed to the resolution which
calls for implementation of Colombo`s own reconciliation
commission recommendations, request the government to present
an action plan detailing the steps government has taken to
implement the recommendations and encourages the UN High
Commissioner of Human Rights to provide technical assistance
to Sri Lanka towards implementation.
The resolution is being branded by Colombo as
interference and as a devious plan by the Western nations to
undermine its sovereignty.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday told Parliament
that India is "inclined to" vote in favour of the resolution.
The Congress-led UPA government is under huge pressure
from its ally, the DMK, which has warned that it could
withdraw its ministers from the cabinet if India either
abstained or supported Sri Lanka during the vote.
PTI
