Colombo: In an apparent reference to India,
Sri Lanka on Friday said "certain domestic compulsions" had forced
some of its neighbours and traditional friends to vote for the
UNHRC resolution censuring Colombo for alleged human rights
abuses during the final stages of the ethnic conflict.
Slamming the US-sponsored resolution adopted yesterday by
the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Sri
Lanka said it had countered the cardinal principle of
international law.
With 24 votes for, 15 against and 8 abstentions, the
UNHRC adopted the resolution which noted with concern that
the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), an
internal inquiry report in Sri Lanka, does not adequately
address "serious allegations" of violations of international
law during the final stages of the ethnic conflict between the
Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE.
However, Acting Foreign Minister Dew Gunasekera told
parliament that external mechanisms should be only resorted to
when domestic remedies are exhausted.
"We are not surprised by the move of certain member
states for their action against Sri Lanka," Gunasekera said,
adding that same nations had attempted to provide a lifeline
to the LTTE by forcing the ending of the military campaign.
On India`s backing of the US Gunasekera said: "We are
mindful of certain domestic compulsions that forced some of
our neighbours and traditional friends to act in the way they
did".
"We will not under any circumstances allow others to
impose on us their advice or solutions," he underlined.
India had initially shown reluctance to vote on a
nation-specific resolution but had to change its stand under
severe pressure from political parties in Tamil Nadu,
particularly DMK which had threatened to pull out its
ministers from the UPA government at the Centre.
PTI
