Lanka ‘war crimes’: India cautious, trying for a forward-looking outcome

By IANS,

New Delhi : Treading cautiously on the the US-backed resolution on alleged war crimes during Sri Lanka’s civil war, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Wednesday the government was engaged with all parties to achieve “a forward-looking outcome that is based on reconciliation rather than confrontation”.


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“I would like to highlight here that on such sensitive issues we will need to consider the implications of our actions carefully. Any assertions on our part may have implications on our historically friendly relations with a neighbouring country,” Krishna said in the Rajya Sabha in a statement on “The Situation in Sri Lanka”

“We would also need to examine whether our actions will actually assist in the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka, and enhance the current dialogue between the government of Sri Lanka and Tamil parties, including the Tamil National Alliance,” he said.

Commenting on the draft resolution on Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council, Krishna said: “We are engaged with all parties in an effort to achieve a forward looking outcome that is based on reconciliation and accountability rather than deepening confrontation and mistrust between the concerned parties.”

“I may mention that the issue of human rights allegations against Sri Lanka is yet to come up for formal discussion at the 19th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,” he said.

“A view on this issue will be taken as and when the time is finalised for consideration of the draft resolution on Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council,” he added.

Krishna also stressed that India has conveyed to the Sri Lankan government the importance of a genuine process of reconciliation to address the grievances of the Tamil community.

Krishna’s statement came a day after the allegations of “war crimes” during Colombo’s civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) triggered a massive uproar in parliament, with two key Tamil Nadu parties — DMK and AIADMK — asking the Indian government to vote against Sri Lanka on the resolution. AIADMK members walked out of the house after Krishna’s statement as a sign of protest.

The DMK members stressed that the government should unequivocally support the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka.

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