On
Sri Lanka, ICP
Asks UK Burt
& Bishop
of CHOGM, They
Claim
It'll
Spotlight
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 25
-- Last night,
when Sri Lanka
president Mahinda
Rajapaksa
and military
figure
Shavendra
Silva met with
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon,
there was also
a reception by
the UK and
Australia for
the upcoming
Commonwealth
Heads of
Government
meeting
in Colombo.
But what was
the place of
accountability
for the
civilians
killed in
2009?
Inner
City Press
asked new
Australian
foreign
minister Julie
Bishop and UK
minister
Alistair Burt
about human
rights. Burt
said that the
position of
the UK is that
it is firstly
about the
Commonwealth
-- but
human rights
in Sri Lanka
are important.
Burt
cited the LLRC
and "whether
or not" the
pathway to
reconciliation
is being met.
He said CHOGM
would allow
review of
"those areas
were there are
some concerns
about what is
happening
there." Tweeted
Burt &
Bishop photo
here. UK
Transcript
below.
Bishop
said it is a
bipartisan
position in
Australia that
"we continue
to
engage, rather
than
isolate...
More can be
achieved."
She
said she
visited Sri
Lanka this
year, "there
is a way to go
in
reconciliation,
in terms of
restructuring
of the
country." She
urged visits
outside of
Colombo,
particularly
to the north.
She said now
the "TNA has
the challenge
of
delivering
services in
the North,
scene of such
bloody
conflict."
Yes,
Shavendra
Silva directly
played a role
in that, and
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
ordered it. So
where's the
accountability?
At
Wednesday's UN
noon briefing
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
if Shavendra
Silva, after
turning tail,
returned and
attended the
meeting with
Ban. Nesirky
did not
answer,
saying it
should be
asked of the
Mission.
Inner City
Press
tweeted the
question at
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
during his
#AskMR session
on Wednesday;
so far no
answer.
Inner
City
Press asked
how the Arms
Trade Treaty
would apply to
arming the
Syria rebels.
Australia's
Julie Bishop,
with
Ambassador
Gary Quinlan
and his
counterpart in
Geneva
standing to
the side.
She said that
signatories
will have
obligations,
and we'll
expect them to
honor
those
obligations.
Fine -- like
France air
dropping
weapons into
Libya's Nafusa
Mountains? She
said the US
represents 80%
of the world
trade in arms
- which seems
high. Watch
this site.
Here's
the UK's
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
...if I can
ask one
question to
Australia and
the UK, which
is that I know
that both
countries
yesterday
sponsored an
event with Sri
Lanka, of the
Commonwealth,
and people
have raised
questions,
given the
human rights
record and
militarisation
and I wanted
to know,
particularly
from
Australia,
what place
human rights
in Sri Lanka
has in your
determination...
(inaudible)
and whether it
came out in
yesterday’s
event?
Alistair Burt:
Just on Sri
Lanka, the
position of
the United
Kingdom is
that the
opportunity of
the
Commonwealth
Heads of
Government
meeting being
in held in Sri
Lanka, is
firstly about
the
Commonwealth.
The fact of
its location
in Sri Lanka
is important,
but it’s not
the only thing
that will be
discussed.
That human
rights issues
in Sri Lanka
are extremely
important. We
support the
efforts being
made there to
see the LLRC
recommendations
been put into
practise. We
have a long
and continuing
dialogue with
Sri Lanka in
terms of its
own pathway to
reconciliation
and whether or
not that
pathway is
being met and
the ability of
states to go
to Sri Lanka
for that Heads
of Government
meeting gives
an opportunity
for a
spotlight to
be shone, both
on those areas
where progress
has been made
in Sri Lanka,
as there has
been progress,
and those
areas where
there are some
concerns about
what is
happening
there. But the
importance of
the
Commonwealth
being involved
and the
Commonwealth
having a
strong view in
terms of
values and the
like, is an
important part
of the
process.
, 
