Beijing: China on Thursday backed Sri Lanka in
its opposition to the setting up of a human rights panel by
the UN to look into alleged rights abuses during the ethnic
war, saying the government was capable of handling it.
China said Sri Lanka and its people were capable of
handling the issue and asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
and world community to help Colombo stabilise its internal
situation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said
Colombo has appointed a `Reconciliation Commission` of its own
to probe the charges of human rights abuses during the last
stages of the conflict against the LTTE in Sri Lanka.
"China believes that the Sri Lankan government and its
people are capable of handling various issues. We hope the
international community including UN Secretary General can
create a favourable external environment for the Sri Lankan
government to stabilise its internal situation and accelerate
economic development," he said.
Sri Lanka has said the panel headed by Indonesia`s
former Attorney General Marzuki Darusman was "uncalled for and
unnecessary" and warned that it will take "appropriate
action".
China in recent years has emerged as a strategic ally
and a leading donor of Sri Lanka and backed the country`s
military campaign against the LTTE, a move interpreted by
strategic analysts as an attempt aimed at countering India`s
influence in the region.
Since 2006, the Chinese government has provided Sri
Lanka with USD 3.06 billion financial assistance. China`s
financial clout has ensured its links with some of the most
strategically located assets of Sri Lanka, including the
Hambantota deep sea port in the southern part of the country.
On the political crisis in Nepal following the
resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Qin said
China hopes that all political forces in the country to work
out a consensus through dialogue and jointly proceed with the
peace process to achieve stability and development.
He also praised outgoing Prime Minister Nepal for his
great contribution to establish China-Nepal friendship.
PTI
