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Sri Lanka's main opposition welcomes resolution at UN

Xinhua, September 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's main opposition on Friday welcomed the draft text of a resolution on Sri Lanka tabled by the co-sponsors at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is also the main minority Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, said that resolution constitutes a significant victory for justice in Sri Lanka.

The resolution which was tabled in Geneva on Thursday backs a domestic process with foreign assistance to investigate and prosecute those accused of human rights abuses during the war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military. "In particular, we welcome the draft resolution's call on Sri Lanka to involve foreign and Commonwealth judges, lawyers, investigators and defenders in a judicial mechanism to be set up in Sri Lanka that would be mandated to try international crimes," the TNA said.

The TNA said it is committed to helping the government and international stakeholders evolve such a court, and will support its work. "We also wish to note our appreciation of the government's assent to this text and its willingness to co-sponsor it in the Human Rights Council. A court established on these lines would represent a dramatic break from the past and could herald the beginning of an end to impunity,"the TNA said.

The TNA however noted that they are acutely aware that some of the language used in the interests of a consensus will not satisfy all victims of the conflict whom the TNA represents and who have reposed their trust in the TNA.

However, the TNA says they are of the view that the draft provides a constructive starting point for what will inevitably be a long road to reconciliation. Endi