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Help break cycle of violence: Rajapaksa

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the United Nations on Tuesday that his Government would hold provincial and local bodies elections in the east early next year and said it was an opportunity for the international community to play a “vital role in breaking the cycle of conflict by focusing on development”.

Addressing the 62nd session of the General Assembly on its opening day, Mr. Rajapaksa said human rights were too important to be used as a “tool to victimise States for political advantage”.

It was essential that international action to facilitate compliance with human rights standards was fair and even handed.

Diplomatic and political observers here are of the view that the message reflected the chasm between Colombo and the international community on human rights.

Mr. Rajapaksa’s observations coincided with the sixth session of the U.N. Human Rights Council where a resolution on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka was supposed to be tabled. However, Colombo on Wednesday said no draft resolution had been tabled.

Mr. Rajapaksa said, “We all became members of an organisation that was created to let all our voices be heard, to avoid trying to resolve problems through violence, revenge and blame. And yet we see a trend to find fault, to place countries in the dock and penalise those who do not fall in line. Instead of seeking solutions through cooperation, we have often created suspicion and built walls between ourselves through double standards.”

He said his Government launched military operations only to exert pressure on the terrorists.. He advocated a negotiated and honourable end to the conflict.

He said state sovereignty, civil society and the rule of law were increasingly being threatened by terrorism and illegal and illicit activities in many countries. Though the U.N. system has set up mechanisms to deal with these problems, its capacity to address these challenges has effectively been brought into question.

The Sri Lankan President said solutions sought for conflicts in various countries must be indigenous.

Separately, the LTTE alleged that a priest from Mannar district, Fr. JRF Ranjith, was killed by the Army on Wednesday.

The military however denied the charge.

It said security forces personnel had killed 13 LTTE cadres in confrontations that took place in Vavuniya district on Tuesday.

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