Sri Lanka says no deadline to address allegations on war

The Sri Lankan government, on Thursday, said it is not under any pressure from the international community to address concerns related to the war.

Minister Lakshman Kiriella said the international community has accepted the efforts being taken by the Government to address the issues at hand.

He said for three years Sri Lanka was on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and was discussed for over an hour but now only 15 minutes is allocated for the country since improvements have been seen on the human rights issue.

"Sri Lanka was once on the verge of an economic embargo. But now the international community has accepted the path we are taking is the right path," he said.

The Minister said the international community has given time to Sri Lanka to come out with its own proposals to address the issues related to the war.

He said all the political parties in the country are now part of the process to draft a new Constitution which will ensure the root causes of the war are addressed.

Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 30 years of war but faced allegations of committing human rights abuses.

The current government, which took office last year, has won the support of the international community after promising accountability over incidents related to the war. Endit