Washington: The Obama administration on Wednesday asserted that recent remarks made by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, that rape was used as a weapon of war in Sri Lanka along with Burma and the Balkans, was not specific to the recent phase of conflict which ended early this year.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, PJ Crowley, yesterday said the US Ambassador at Large on Women`s issues, has written a letter to Sri Lankan government that Hillary’s mention on this issue during a debate in the UN Security Council, was not specific to the recent conflict during which the Sri Lankan Army defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus ending three decades of civil war in the country.
"There were some questions raised by the Sri Lankan government, because in the intervention at the Security Council, the Secretary did -- among -- in pointing out a number of countries where we`ve had this concern in the past, she mentioned Bosnia. She mentioned Sri Lanka," Crowley said in response to a question during his interaction with reporters at the Foreign Press Centre.
"Melanne Verveer, who is our ambassador at large for women`s issues, sent a letter over the weekend to the Sri Lankan government clarifying that the reference that the secretary made, you know, was to, you know, very well-documented reports of significant levels of rape that were documented through, I think, 2002 or 2003 in a variety of reports, including State Department reports and also reports done by Amnesty International," he said.
"At the same time, Ambassador Verveer did clarify that the reference was not specifically to the most recent phase of the tragic conflict in Sri Lanka," Crowley said.
In the same letter, Crowley said, Verveer, indicated that Clinton has a significant interest in looking to see how the US can help Sri Lanka move forward.
Noting that there are a significant number of displaced persons, still in camps in Sri Lanka, Crowley said it is vitally important for the country to move forward and help to deal with the refugee population and try to help stabilise that situation.
"It is very important for the government to expand a dialogue with various ethnic groups, try to help move the country forward, get past now that the military conflict has ended; find ways to get past and move Sri Lanka, you know, forward aggressively," he said.
Crowley said there is an opportunity here for a stronger relationship between the US and Sri Lanka going forward.
Bureau Report
