Drama in Room XIII, No One to Defend Sri Lanka

There was no one to espouse the Government’s cause.

srilankabrief.org

(GENEVA Sunday Times) - Room XIII at the Palais de Naciones in Geneva, home for the UN Human Rights Council, was half packed last Tuesday.

It was perhaps the final informal consultation convened by the United States to discuss the improved text of its draft resolution on Sri Lanka. The deadline for amendments was 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

Taking the chair was the United States together with Macedonia, Montenegro, Mauritius and the United Kingdom. As the meeting got under way, a delegate from Singapore rose to a point of order. He said someone with a camera was taking pictures. He wanted those pictures deleted and to urge the cameraman to stop immediately.

The chair, the United States, promptly declared that it had instructed the people not to take photographs of anyone in the room. The only exception, the US said, would be those chairing the meeting because they were happy with it. The meeting proceeded thereafter until Canada raised issue over another matter.

Other countries were seeking an amendment to the draft resolution’s final line which said,

At the US convened informal consultations last Tuesday - TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran, Suren Surendiran (GTF) and S. Sritharan

“Calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to co-operate with the Office of the High Commissioner concerning the implementation of this resolution.” Others wanted the word “full co-operation”.

Canada said it was not happy with the use of those two words. Television in Sri Lanka, Canada said, was running dramatised visuals of (EAM) Peiris bitterly attacking High Commissioner Pillay. Hence, Canada said the use of the word “co-operation” was not appropriate.

Other than diplomats from different countries, the Global Tamil Forum’s Suren Surendiran was seated together with TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran and S. Sritharan. Also present was Nimalka Fernando representing the Democratic People’s Movement in Colombo. She told the informal consultation that attacks on minorities were not sporadic but regular. She said it was appropriate to keep references to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in the draft resolution. There was no one to espouse the Government’s cause.