grregan
Even as supportive elements of government plan to get on the streets to protest against perceived US interference in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka, here in Geneva, the tone and the content of the Sri Lankan campaign against a US backed resolution targeting the country, seems to get increasingly blunt, even shrill.
Yesterday, External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris told the so called like-minded group of nations that the contemplated US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN Human Rights Commission sessions next week is untenable as it lacks ‘moral force.’
He said that in international law for example, there is no mechanism for enforcement, (‘you cannot imprison a delinquent nation’) and therefore the guiding principle was that of moral force – i.e. for international law to be applied, there must be solid moral reasoning behind its application.
Speaking on these lines, he said that the contemplated US resolution lacks in moral force, ‘as it seeks intrusive measures against Sri Lanka when none were due.’
“The domestic process concerning issues of reconciliation, resettlement, etc., and political process have not been exhausted, and therefore the intrusive US resolution that seeks to grant unsolicited technical assistance to Sri Lanka definitely lacks in moral force,” he told the like-minded country group.
The diplomatic row between Sri Lanka and the US has been hotting-up and becoming increasingly flagrant since the US last week sent e-mails to country representatives here in Geneva saying that the US was drafting a resolution with the partnership and participation of Sri Lanka. The next day, the Minister of External Affairs Peiris flatly denied this position and told country representatives here, and the local and international media that Sri Lanka on the contrary rejects the US resolution in total.
Yesterday, External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris told the so called like-minded group of nations that the contemplated US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN Human Rights Commission sessions next week is untenable as it lacks ‘moral force.’
He said that in international law for example, there is no mechanism for enforcement, (‘you cannot imprison a delinquent nation’) and therefore the guiding principle was that of moral force – i.e. for international law to be applied, there must be solid moral reasoning behind its application.
Speaking on these lines, he said that the contemplated US resolution lacks in moral force, ‘as it seeks intrusive measures against Sri Lanka when none were due.’
“The domestic process concerning issues of reconciliation, resettlement, etc., and political process have not been exhausted, and therefore the intrusive US resolution that seeks to grant unsolicited technical assistance to Sri Lanka definitely lacks in moral force,” he told the like-minded country group.
The diplomatic row between Sri Lanka and the US has been hotting-up and becoming increasingly flagrant since the US last week sent e-mails to country representatives here in Geneva saying that the US was drafting a resolution with the partnership and participation of Sri Lanka. The next day, the Minister of External Affairs Peiris flatly denied this position and told country representatives here, and the local and international media that Sri Lanka on the contrary rejects the US resolution in total.
