Speaker urged to table Govt’s Action Plan on LLRC proposals to US

June 1, 2012,

by Zacki Jabbar

The government’s Action Plan, on the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations, which was submitted in secrecy to the US recently, should be tabled in parliament, the UNP has told the Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa.

Lakshman Kiriella MP, in a written communication to the Speaker yesterday, said that a delegation headed by External Affairs Minister, Prof G. L. Peiris had met the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on or around May 18, 2012 and submitted the government’s Action Plan on the LLRC proposals, while denying the legislature and general public their inalienable right to know its contents.

The Action Plan, which stemmed from the US Resolution on Sri Lanka on Accountability and Reconciliation, that was adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 22, should have been submitted to parliament first, he said while noting that there could not be secret negotiations on national issues.

The proper procedure would have been to permit the legislature to debate the proposed programme of action, before making secret pledges to the US, UN or any other foreign organization, the MP observed.

Kiriella said that the government, which accuses the UNP of being traitors at the drop of a hat, was dancing to the tune of the Obama administration, while claiming that it would not allow foreigners to dictate terms.

The US Resolution called on the Sri Lankan government to implement an Action Plan for the UN Human Rights Commissioner to work in consultation and with the concurrence of Sri Lanka, in implementing the LLRC proposals.