INDEX FOR TODAY’S BRIEFING-Sri Lanka

QUESTION:

QUESTION: All right. There’s one more on Sri Lanka I have.

MR. VENTRELL: Sure.

QUESTION: On the resolution that you are putting up at the UN, is it different than the last? How different is it from the last year’s resolution that the U.S. has put in?

MR. VENTRELL: Well, we do intend to, as I mentioned yesterday, sponsor resolution at the UN Human Rights Council current session. It will build on the 2012 resolution, which called on Sri Lanka to do more to promote reconciliation and accountability. The resolution will ask the Government of Sri Lanka to follow through on its own commitments to its people, including implementing the constructive recommendations from the report by Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. So that’s really the content of the resolution and we’re cosponsoring – we’re sponsoring it and support it.

Pillai added that, ‘although I support the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the LLRC recommendations I do this that this is being done selectively.’ She welcomed the engagement by the Human Rights Council to monitor domestic processes especially regarding accountability.

Excerpt of statement by Navi Pillai;

While clearly the Sri Lankan Government has invested in the physical aspects of reconciliation and development in the North of the Island including the resettlement of IDPs, all of which I welcome. I remain concerned about the lack of meaningful progress on accountability and reconciliation. Although I support the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the LLRC recommendations I do this that this is being done selectively. So I welcome the engagement by the Human Rights Council to monitor domestic processes expecially regarding accountability. For some time the Sri Lankan Government has been engaging with me and it is true that I have an invitation from them extending for two years now. By mutual agreement we stayed the visit pending the release of the LLRC report and pending the report from my technical mission and I look forward to discussions with the Permanent (Sri Lankan) Mission here for my further visit and hopefully also the visits of eight special rapporteurs who have requested visits.

AUDIO: