US calls for 'accountability' in Sri Lanka's war

06 April, 2011
Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo

There are continuing signs of strained relations between the United States and Sri Lanka, nearly two years after the South Asian country’s military ended decades of war by conquering the Tamil Tiger separatists.

A senior State Department official has said that unless there is firm progress on human rights and reconciliation, there ought to be limits on the two countries’ security cooperation.

Robert Blake, the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, told the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee that Washington has a number of human rights concerns which he called “worrisome”.

He implied that some things are getting worse in Sri Lanka, saying democratic institutions were being weakened. And he said full engagement with the government was hampered by the way it concluded the war, saying there must be accountability for alleged breaches of international humanitarian law such as the death of civilians. 

Our security cooperation, in many forms, should remain limited until progress has been made on fundamental human rights, democracy and governance issues, and the concrete steps necessary for a true and lasting national reconciliation.   Robert Blake

Mr Blake said there had been some good moves on reconciliation, including the shrinking of army-occupied territory and the recruitment of some Tamil-speaking police. But he said more needs to be done.

Meeting with GTF

Last week the senior US diplomat held a meeting with a Tamil diaspora group, the Global Tamil Forum.

It believes in an independent state for Tamils in north and east Sri Lanka as the Tigers did.

And it alleges that Tamils have been subjected to genocide.

The Sri Lankan government has not commented on that meeting, but it won’t be happy about it.

The BBC was unable to get through to the minister who deals with human rights for a response to Robert Blake.

But the government denies being responsible for civilians’ deaths and regularly asks its critics to wait for the report of a reconciliation commission set up by the president.

The foreign minister is now in London where he said Sri Lanka must be given “space” to achieve reconciliation.