Sri Lanka has secured the support of Russia and China in its opposition to the panel of experts appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on humanitarian issues related to the war against the LTTE.
After Moscow, Beijing has come out in support of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government and has expressed the belief that Colombo is capable of handling its problems. It urged Mr. Ban and the international community to act as facilitators in this regard.
According to reports in the local media, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made these remarks at a press conference. He said Sri Lanka had appointed its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission to probe any violation of human rights during the battle and “China believes that the Sri Lankan government and its people are capable of handling various issues.”
“We hope the international community including U.N. Secretary-General can create a favourable external environment for the Sri Lankan government to stabilise its internal situation and accelerate economic development,” said Mr. Qin.
Meanwhile, the European Union urged the Sri Lankan government on Thursday to cooperate with the U.N. panel probing alleged war crimes.
“The European Union encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate fully, including through the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by President Rajapaksa, with the members of the Panel, in the interest of all concerned,” said EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
