The United States has warned Sri Lanka that more international action may be taken if the island fails to implement the latest resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The US also asked Sri Lanka to listen to the international community and implement the LLRC plan on human rights issues and devolution of power in the country.
“They should implement the plan that they have never implemented and they should listen to the words of the international community,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said, after a US-sponsored resolution on Colombo was passed by the UNHRC in Geneva.
“We welcome the passage of this new resolution; 24 other countries also voted for it. We call on the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfill its obligations to its own people. The resolution very clearly expresses the support of the international community for Sri Lanka, addressing its outstanding issues related to reconciliation and for meeting its obligations for accountability, which it has not yet done,” Nuland said.
The US, she said, had made clear to Sri Lanka that if they didn’t take steps, they would see this kind of a resolution coming forward. “That was about six months ago, and we didn’t see any progress. We want to see the Sri Lankans take their own decisions. We have said before, if those are not forthcoming, the international community will look at whether there are other steps we can take. We have talked in the past about whether there ought to be an international effort on this front rather than a Sri Lankan-led effort,” Nuland said.
