Govt. faces critical phase: Good and bad news from Zeid’s visit

By Our Political Editor-Sunday, February 14, 2016
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• Visiting UNHRC Chief gets a more friendly reception than accorded to his predecessor
• Rajapaksa loyalists taking full advantage of the Geneva crisis; new office opened for new party

There was both good and bad news for the Government during the four-day visit to Sri Lanka by the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

The good news was Zeid’s demonstrated willingness to address what the Government of Sri Lanka believes are contentious issues. Main among them is the participation of Commonwealth and foreign judges, prosecutors and investigators in the proposed judicial mechanism to probe alleged war crimes. He acknowledged the views expressed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during talks last Tuesday but placed the onus on the Government to prove itself through performance. This was after the Premier set out the Government’s road map to address issues. That discourse has opened up avenues but it hinged on how best the Government will tackle the issues.

Zeid also for the first time elaborated on the US-backed Geneva resolution, co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. In a carefully crafted eight-page eve of departure statement Tuesday, he said, “the resolution suggests international participation in the accountability mechanisms set up to deal with international crimes and gross human rights violations by individuals on both sides…” In that elucidation he left out any pointed reference to the armed forces collectively. As for the Tiger guerrillas, the fact that such offences came from their slain leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is a historic fact.

The bad news was the insistence in Zeid’s official statement that all provisions in the resolution should be implemented. That had to be expected. The resolution has been unanimously endorsed by 47 members of the Human Rights Council and it is Zeid’s responsibility to ensure it is done. That is why he declared that he would have to report back to the Council on progress — or the lack of it — next June, and again in March 2017.

Foreign Ministry not in the loop
Needless to say that Zeid’s assertions have left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has accused of doing little or nothing in the past one year, in a spin. By its “Most Urgent” Circular No: 45 dated February 10 distributed to Sri Lanka heads of missions overseas, the Ministry has only sent (a) a copy of Zeid’s eight page statement, and (b) the transcript of the news conference he held at the UN office in Colombo. What about Sri Lanka Government’s own response to the assertions Zaid made? In some Sri Lanka diplomatic missions overseas there were media queries on what the Government’s response was. High Commissioners and Ambassadors were unable to answer and asked for time. Sri Lankan diplomats were confused over what to tell their host Governments.                  Read More