The United States has sought to distance itself from the comments made by its Defence Attaché stationed here — who doubted the intentions of LTTE’s unconditional surrender offer in May 2009 at a seminar on defeating terrorism — and said that these were personal remarks.
In a press statement on June 3, Mark C. Toner, Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesman, State Department, Washington, DC, said: “Remarks earlier this week by the U.S. Embassy’s Defense Attaché at a conference in Colombo reflected his personal opinions. They do not reflect the policy of the United States Government. The United States declined invitations to participate in this conference, and our Defence Attaché attended to observe the proceedings as part of his normal duties.
A red-faced State Department hurried to clarify that the United States “remains deeply concerned by the findings of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka. We are committed to ensuring that there is a credible accounting of, and accountability for, violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka. We believe that the Sri Lankan Government must act quickly and credibly to address the violations alleged in the report and to adopt the measures necessary to achieve national reconciliation and build a united, democratic, and peaceful Sri Lanka.”
The Defence Attaché, Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith told the seminar that he doubted the credibility of rebel surrender claims. He said that the offer of surrender came from the “mouthpieces” of the LTTE, and these persons seemed to have no control over the leadership.
One of the most-watched cases in Sri Lanka is the White Flag Case, which pertains to the killing of surrendering LTTE men by the Sri Lankan Army. A Sri Lankan English newspaper quoted former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, as saying that the surrendering LTTE men were ordered to be shot dead by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Mr. Fonseka, now in jail, has deposed in the High Court that he was misquoted.
International agencies and U.N. experts’ panel report also reflects the view that the surrendering LTTE men were shot dead by the Army.
Col. Smith’s assertion contradicts this contention by the West that Sri Lankan troops killed surrendering rebels.
The three-day seminar on ‘Defeating terrorism — Sri Lanka experience’, organised by the Sri Lankan Army and supported by two Chinese firms, ended on June 2.
