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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 13158975" data-attributes="member: 92282">Experts from the UN Human Rights Council will arrive in Colombo next  month to “offer advice and technical assistance” to the Government  towards implementing the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka. In what seems a change of heart, the Government has responded to a  letter from UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanethem Pillay, that it  would receive the expert delegation. Earlier, as revealed in the Sunday  Times of May 27, the government was poised to reject the move. The  acceptance has been conveyed through the External Affairs Ministry.The move follows the Government’s resolve to fulfil the provisions of  the resolution. With this in mind, the Cabinet at its last meeting  approved an Action Plan forwarded by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. One of the three main elements in the resolution adopted by the UN  Human Rights Council called upon Sri Lanka to formulate a “comprehensive  action plan” as “expeditiously as possible”. Another called upon the  Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant special  procedures mandate holders to provide, in consultation with, and with  the concurrence of, the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical  assistance on implementing the provisions of the resolution. The latest Government decision, diplomatic sources in Colombo said  yesterday, would pave the way for the visit to Colombo by High  Commissioner Pillay herself. The UN special procedures and mandate  holders will have talks with Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga,  among others. Mr. Weeratunga heads a Presidential Task Force which is  responsible for the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons  Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). Implementing these  recommendations through “credible and independent” investigations is a  main thrust of the US-backed resolution. Earlier, government officials took up the position that the visit of a  delegation of experts would not be acceptable since Sri Lanka was not a  party to the adoption of the UNHRC resolution. However, the new  Government resolve, according to diplomatic sources, means that the  Government has decided to “fully cooperate with the UN.” In this regard, the Government delayed forwarding its Human Rights  Report to the UNHRC in Geneva to incorporate provisions in the Action  Plan and other “last minute issues”. This came after Sri Lanka’s  Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva challenged the computation of the  deadline for the report – July 23 – had not been properly calculated.  Thereafter, UN officials upheld Sri Lanka’s concerns and fixed August 9  as the deadline. On Friday, Secretary Weeratunga sent the updated report to Ravinatha  Ariyasinha, Sri Lanka’s new ambassador to the UN in Geneva, for onward  transmission to the UN office. It will now be translated into UN  approved languages and posted on the official UN website.ST</blockquote>

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