LLRC report does not provide the roadmap we’d hoped for – US

QUESTION: Sri Lanka?

MS. NULAND: Yeah.

QUESTION: Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission has cleared the country’s army of deliberately

targeting civilians during the final days of its war against LTTE. Do you have any comments? And where are they heading?

MS. NULAND: Well, we appreciate the important work of the Sri Lankan Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission has addressed a number of the crucial areas of concern to Sri Lankans. In particular, the report recognizes and makes substantive recommendations in the areas of reconciliation, devolution of authority, demilitarization, rule of law, media freedom, disappearances, human rights violations.

And while we’re still studying the full report, I do have to say that we have concerns that the report, nonetheless, does not fully address all the allegations of serious human rights violations that occurred in the final phase of the conflict. So this leaves questions about accountability and – for those allegations, and so we urge the Sri Lankan Government not only to fulfill all of the recommendations of the report as it stands, but also to address those issues that the report did not cover.

QUESTION: Has there been any official communication between Washington and Colombo?

MS. NULAND: There has. Assistant Secretary Blake has been in contact with various Sri Lankan counterparts, as has our ambassador there. I’d also say that we’ve seen the government’s preliminary action plan, but we don’t think it really provides the kind of detailed roadmap that we had hoped to see for fulfilling all of the Commission’s recommendations. So those are the things that we are, in our private conversation, urging them to continue to work on, implementation of the recommendations in the report, and addressing those gaps that the report left.

QUESTION: Are you looking forward to, or – in your discussions, have you put any time period, any kind of – that – it cannot just go on for next 10 years or 20 years?

MS. NULAND: No, of course. But we’re looking in the first instance to a report – a response from the Sri Lankan Government to these concerns that we’ve expressed and that a number of Sri Lankans have expressed, to hear what their proposed timetable, as I said, their proposed roadmap is for remediating these issues.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Just to follow up, human rights groups in response to this report said that this is time for an independent, international probe into what happened in 2009. Is that the U.S. position? Does the U.S. think that there should be an international effort at this point? Or do you think the Sri Lankan effort is still – will suffice for the time being?

MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, we’ve long said that it is better for Sri Lankans to take these issues themselves and address them fully. That remains our position, so now we want to see if the Sri Lankan Government will lead their country in the next step to ensure that there is full implementation of the recommendations that we have and filling in of the gaps. So let’s see what they are willing to do going forward.

 

1 Comment to “LLRC report does not provide the roadmap we’d hoped for – US”

• WINSTON DE VALLIERE
  December 26, 2011 at 5:17 am

  Mrs.Nuland, ah sure is holding mah breath ma’aaaam, ah sure is. Bah da way ma’am, got somepin noo on wut dey’s doin goin forard on da lasantha moider ma’aaam ? No ? Aw shucks ma’aam , ah shore taut dem had gawn a tad foither on dat one at leest. got somep’n to recommen to fill dat gap honey ? and pardon ma’am but who in dat colombo gonna “ensure that there is full implementation of the recommendations” hon? You? da US? Da UN? Waal now, you guys an dolls sure good as dayan J at dem words ma’am. Problemn here ma’am is while da words keep flowing dem white vans r at the ready, the masked trail bike riders r sure jerkin at da leashes, da guns are oiled andf …hry ! hold on will ya…why u think da LANKA STANDARD BEEN DONE IN NY MA’AM. WHY YOU THINK LAL AND DA JANSZ WOMAN HIGHTAILED IT TO AUSSIE HUH? nOT ON A CHRISTMAS JAUNT, OH NO! AND EVEBN THAT JUDGE FELLER TOOK OFF TO THE uk, WHAT ? AND THEN TYHERE’S THAT CHAPPIE DUMINDA SILVA SOMEWHERE ON THE BALI ISLANDS [ HE’S A KINDA PICKY SPRTA GUY, IF U KNOW WHAT i MEAN. wHAT I’M SAYING IS THAT REALITY MAKES IT SAFE TO GET AS FAR AWAY AS POSS FROM THIS LAND LIKE NO OTHER.nOEW MA’AM , JUST TO SHARE A LITTLE SENSE WITH YOU: WHO DO YA THINK THEY’RE ALL RUNNING AWAY FROM? AND THE BIBLE SAID ” AND THERE WAS LIGHT “.

  sEE, THEY’RE SKEDADDLING BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL SCARED TO HELL ABOUT “OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS” WHICH WILL BE IMPLEMENTED “…AND SO FAST, THAT sONALI , i BETCHA’ HAS ALSO GOT AN EDITORIAL FOR POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATION ON THIS BLOG MA’AM.WON’T BE SURPRISED AT ALL!

  lISTEN UP ALL YOU GUYS…THIS IS SRI LANKA, AND AS THE PUNCH LINE PUTS IT PITHILY ” A LAND LIKE NO OTHER”. AND HOW !! tHAT’S WHY MY WEBSITE’S ETERNALLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, SEE? aH ! FOR THE LIGHT !!!