Swamy cautions Blake:
US Resolution could revive LTTE
Wants Obama to have bilateral consultations with
Colombo :
[Resolution unenforceable within UN framework]
India’s Janatha Party leader Subramanian Swamy warned the United
States that its resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva could be seen as
a victory of the divisive forces close to the Tigers that could revive
the separatist agenda of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Swamy, who met Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asia Robert Blake, conveyed his point of view on the American move to
introduce a resolution at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session.
Noting that this was his personal initiative, Swamy, during his nearly
hour long meeting with the State Department officials in Washington,
cautioned the US that the resolution should not be seen as a victory of
the divisive forces close to the LTTE as that could result in a revival
of the LTTE which is not in the interests of anyone.
He asked the Obama administration to undertake bilateral
consultations with Colombo to work out a consensus on the draft of the
alleged Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka proposed to be tabled in
UNHRC in Geneva. India’s Janatha Party leader was apprising the media of
his talks with Washington officials. “Under no circumstances has the
resolution any indication that President Rajapaksa and others are guilty
of war crimes. Whatever has to be done has to be done by the government
of Sri Lanka and not by international agencies. The demand for
international agencies essentially comes from supporters of LTTE,” he
said.
Swamy told US officials that there is no probability of setting up an
internationally-appointed intrusive probe which Sri Lanka will be
compelled to comply because Russia and China will veto such a move.
“Thus, no resolution not acceptable to Sri Lanka can be ever enforced in
the UN framework,” he said. Swamy said the US resolution, according to
information he was given by State Department officials, will not urge
for an international mechanism to scrutinise Sri Lanka. He said it is a
big setback for pro-LTTE forces.
Expressing satisfaction over his meeting with the US officials, Swamy
argued that any investigation into the alleged Human Rights violations
should be taken by the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka
and not by any internationally appointed bodies.
“Because Sri Lanka, being a democratic country, stands on a totally
different footing from Bosnia and Zaire,” he said.
Courtesy: Asian Tribune
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