The United States while welcoming Thursday’s announcement of the lifting of emergency regulations in Sri Lanka, said yesterday if the government failed to meet international humanitarian obligations, then the international community would have to step in.
“We continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to comply with international humanitarian laws and obligations, and we continue to say that if they do not do this nationally, then the international community will have to step in,” US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at the daily news briefing in Washington.
She said Assistant Secretary Robert O. Blake, who is scheduled to travel Sri Lanka would also discuss these issues.
Ms. Nuland welcomed the news that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has proposed to parliament that the emergency laws be withdrawn.
“We do see this as a positive step for the Sri Lankan people,” she said. “It sets up a good visit for Assistant Secretary Blake, who will be talking to a broad cross-section of Sri Lankans -- the government, human rights groups and NGOs -- about all of these issues. He’ll meet with government officials, civil society representatives, university students, political leaders in Colombo, and he’s also going to Jaffna.”
In response to a question about reports that none of the atrocities were committed by the Sri Lankan government, Ms. Nuland said, “We stand by the reporting that we have done, and we call on Sri Lanka to have a transparent, open, and accountable process.”
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