Lankan team briefs international community on Human Rights

GENEVA: Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe led a high level delegation to Geneva to brief the international community on the situation concerning human rights in Sri Lanka.

The delegation comprising Attorney-General C.R. De Silva, Secretary-General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process Professor Rajiva Wijesinha and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka were in Geneva from September 3 to 6.

The Minister and the delegation conducted extensive bilateral consultations with Portugal, the current Chair of the European Union and several other countries, including Canada, China, Cuba, India, Ireland, Japan, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Thailand and the USA.

The delegation attended a working luncheon with the Bureau of the UN Human Rights Council hosted by Dr. Jayatilleka. Chairpersons of the various regional groupings as well as the Vatican Representative participated.

The Sri Lanka delegation had consultations with the representatives of the member States of the European Union at a breakfast meeting and exchanged views in an open and transparent manner.

The delegation welcomed efforts to support and strengthen the country's human rights institutions.

During consultations with International Non-Governmental Organisations, the delegation met with the representatives of International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Geneva Call and stressed the need for accurate, balanced and non- partisan reporting.

At a well-attended two-hour briefing for the representatives of all member States of the UN and Inter-Governmental Organisations at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, the delegation provided a comprehensive picture of the situation in Sri Lanka and the Government's efforts.

A large number of representatives of States who attended the briefing and other bilateral meetings appreciated the opportunity to exchange views with key Government officials and commended the high level of transparency shown by the Sri Lanka Government.

Sri Lanka's consistent and long-standing policy of open and constructive engagement with UN human rights mechanisms while fighting a struggle of self-defence against the LTTE was appreciated by all delegations.

They welcomed the invitations by the Government the Inter-Parliamentary Union, M. Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, and Dr. Walter Kaelin, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of IDPs to visit Sri Lanka this year.