Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that if the Government is provided with an opportunity for a reasonable and fair debate to exchange views at the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) sessions, the country’s position will be accepted stronger by the majority. “Sri Lanka has always won the support and solidarity of our friendly nations as a pioneer of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a member of the Commonwealth and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The dedication which Sri Lanka has been working for over 60 years has also contributed to make the United Nations (UN) network”, the minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
“However, let us not forget that the UNHRC is holding discussions in Geneva on February 22 as a virtual conference where foreign delegations, ministers and representatives will not be able to gather, discuss, negotiate or debate issues as we have done before.”
Minister Gunawardena said the former Yahapalana Government’s anti-democratic and anti-people’s measures paved the way to co-sponsor the UNHRC resolution 30/1 against our own country. Our Security Forces had achieved victory after 30 years by defeating LTTE terrorism. Therefore, inviting foreign judges to make judgements on our internal matters is not permitted in our Constitution.
He said when Sri Lanka withdrew from the co-sponsorship of the resolution 30/1 at last year’s UNHRC session, the President pledged that a Supreme Court Judge will head a Commission of Inquiry and a domestic mechanism to go into any so-called violations that are being put on Sri Lanka. There have been confidential reports of the British Foreign office that were released and quoted in the House of Commons by Lord Naseby which gives a new opening to the realities of those who have praised the battle launched against the LTTE by our Security Forces.
The minister said that our war heroes acted on behalf of the entire nation. They also protected the Tamil political leaders. We will not provide any room to initiate any action or take them before any international courts. Our war heroes were engaged in a humanitarian mission. Therefore, we have requested that these baseless allegations levelled against our war heroes be withdrawn.
Commenting on certain Tamil political parties in the North such as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which also backs the UNHRC allegations levelled against Sri Lanka, Minister Gunawardena said the TNA has been always taking an extreme position as their goal is not the day-to-day development, better livelihood and better prospects for our countrymen who are living in the North, East or the rest of the country. They are only interested in their political agenda which they canvass and mislead others with falsehoods to the lobbying groups in the Western capitals.