London: The Commonwealth has offered its
good offices to help the Sri Lankan government in the
reconciliation process in the country following the end of a
three-decade ethnic conflict in May 2009.
"Commonwealth has offered its assistance to Sri Lanka to
bring about a reconciliation between the Tamils and the
Government, " Amitav Banerji, Director, Political at the
Commonwealth has said.
He said the Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission (LLRC) is expected to submit its report next month
and it might be presented to the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting in Perth.
Asked whether the issue of Sri Lanka hosting the 2013
CHOGM would be reviewed, Banerji said "the decision that Sri
Lanka would host 2013 CHOGM was taken at the 2009 CHOGM" and
that issue was not on the agenda at the Perth meeting next
month. It might come up at the RETREAT.
Steve Cutts, the Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-
General, said several issues including reform of the
Commonwealth, democracy and human rights and the impact of the
current global economic crisis on development would be on the
agenda.
Banerji said the official level meeting would be held on
October 24 and 25 and the Ministerial level meeting on October
26 and 27 before the CHOGM on October 28 and 29.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently submitted a
special report on Sri Lanka to the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights and also to the president of the UN Human Rights
Council, alleging human rights violation in the country.
The report accused both Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE of
committing war crimes during the ethnic conflict that ended in
May 2009 and called for an independent probe.
The government has set up the LLRC to probe the ethnic
war, but refused to entertain outside interference on the
issue.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 30, 2011, 23:14