Colombo: Expressing concern over the escalating poll violence in the run up to the January 26 Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka, the US has warned this could reverse the good image, the nation has started building after the end of the civil war in May last year.
"Of course everybody is focused on the upcoming (Presidential) Elections. What is concerning us is that the escalating violence which has no place in a democratic process," US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia A Butenis said.
"The international image of Sri Lanka is just beginning to change from a land were it is all danger and conflict to one where it is a great country where may be we can do business," she said.
"This election violence threatens that improvement. It is a step backward for Sri Lanka. And once the election is over I would urge everybody to focus on the hard work of good governance," the US Ambassador said in an interview.
She said the Sri Lankan Election commissioner's mandates or orders need to be enforced and the "people need to have the right atmosphere to be able to exercise their franchise (in the presidential polls)."
The US is a friend of Sri Lanka and its democracy she told the Private TV channel ‘Newsfirst’, adding: "So we are watching from that respect. We have given some support to organisations that are promoting voter registration and voting."
Rejecting accusations that Washington was giving financial assistance to Opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka, Butenis said: "It is completely false. It is completely false again. We are neutral and some people perhaps find it hard to accept but it is true."
"We will work with whoever wins this democratic elections. Regardless of who it is and hope to look forward from here. We are not supporting any candidate. I don't know from where that came from," she added.
Earlier also, both the US and Norway had issued statements denying charges that they were backing the bid of the opposition consensus candidate retired General Sarath Fonseka.
On whether there would be any change in US foreign policy towards Sri Lanka after the Tuesday elections, Butenis said the certain issues will continue to remain.
"Once the election is over, regardless of who wins, we have certain concerns that remain. Among them are the Human Rights Violations, the question of accountability and certainly reconciliation. And we are concerned about them now with this government. And those issues and those concerns will remain with the next government," she said.
Asked if she would like to take forward the message of democracy on the eve of the crucial elections, Butenis said the US did not want to interfere.
"We certainly don't want to be seen as interfering or intervening. So we thought long and hard about the message. But we will continue to raise that concern we said it publicly.”
"We say it privately to different politicians we meet. We are supporting organisations to get out to vote, to have people registered and encourage people not to resort to violence," she said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 22, 2010, 16:03