Sri Lankan victory at UNHRC shows:

Majority of UN member nations endorse President’s policies -FM

Lakshmi DE SILVA

The victory of Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday (27) clearly demonstrated that the vast majority of the member nations in the council had endorsed the policies of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who launched the largest human rescue operation in the recent history of the world and also defended the human rights of the people, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said yesterday.

Addressing a press conference, Minister Bogollagama said Sri Lanka stood for the protection, promotion and development of human rights and several sections inside and outside the UNHRC had attempted to isolate us but the international community’s verdict with 29 member nations voting for our motion while only 12 voting against and 6 abstaining was very clear.

During the recent past dignitaries like the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and other high officials from different countries visited our country and saw for themselves the welfare and humanitarian work being done by the government for the displaced people of the North.

A delegation from the US Congress visiting the country and had seen the IDP welfare villages and had expressed satisfaction at the welfare facilities afforded to the IDPs, he said.

The Government was quite confident that the resolution before the UNHRC would be carried by a majority as we enjoyed good relations among the South Asian nations as well as member nations of the Non-Aligned Movement.

However it was necessary to explain the true position of human rights and the humanitarian operations against terrorists to those countries that opposed our resolution and we would let that happen even gradually.

“We thank all the member nations of the UNHRC,” he noted.