UNHRC resolution to be discussed at Malta CHOGM

By Shamindra Ferdinando-November 25, 2015, 12:00 pm 

Although Sri Lanka is not on the formal agenda of the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta scheduled to begin tomorrow (27), the UK intends to discuss progress made since the adoption of a UNHRC resolution to probe Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes

The 47-member Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unanimously approved the resolution on Sept. 30. Co-sponsored by Sri Lanka it calls for a thorough investigation into the alleged accountability issues during eelam war IV. The UK and Northern Ireland are representatives of the UNHRC.

President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the head of Commonwealth, is leading the delegation to Malta. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will accompany him.

The UNHRC has recommended that Commonwealth and other international judges as well as prosecutors and investigators be included in the proposed judicial mechanism.

Asked whether the UK was satisfied with the progress made by Sri Lanka and whether the Geneva issue would be taken up during Malta summit, a British High Commission spokesperson told The Island: "The UK has welcomed the commitments made by the Sri Lankan government to the UN Human Rights Council to address issues of reconciliation, accountability and human rights. We believe it is vital that the legacy of the conflict in Sri Lanka is properly addressed, to allow the country to fulfill its huge potential. Sri Lanka is not on the formal agenda at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, but we look forward to discussing progress in our meetings with the Sri Lankan delegation."

Geneva issue came up when President Maithripala Sirisena visited the official residence (Westminster House) of the British High Commissioner in Colombo on Monday (Nov.23) to plant a Na tree in the garden there. The British HC spokesperson said that the event marked President Maithripala Sirisena's last week as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office before he departed for CHOGM 2015 in Malta.

Soon after the visit to the Westminster House, the spokesperson said that High Commissioner James Dauris had discussed CHOGM in Malta, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris and other issues including Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the UN Resolution.

Maithripala Sirisena succeeded Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commonwealth head following his victory at the January presidential polls. The Commonwealth invited Malta to take over leadership following Sri Lanka due to Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam (the next host) refusing to attend Colombo summit to protest human rights violations.

Diplomatic sources told The Island that the Mauritian PM Prime Minister declined to visit Colombo over the human rights situation and thus withdrew as the host of the next summit as protocol had required him to attend the summit in order to personally invite other member states.

Well informed sources told The Island that the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government had not yet taken a final decision on proposed judicial mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes. The Paranagama Commission has, in its report on the Second Mandate, recommended international observers and technical expertise in case the government decided against foreign judges.

The post-Geneva developments had been high on the agenda during the recently concluded US Permanent Representative to UN Samantha Power's three-day visit here. The Sri Lankan government is seeking a consensus on a mechanism encompassing recommendations made by Geneva as well as Paranagama Commission.