CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
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US Senate passes a resolution on SL
By Dianne Silva
A resolution was passed by the US Senate calling on the Government of Sri Lanka to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, during the war. However the US Embassy in Colombo said that this was a non-binding resolution.
“S. Res 84 which was passed today in the U.S. Senate, is what is known as a simple resolution. Although it is non-binding, it does express the concerns of American lawmakers that the government of Sri Lanka provide a credible and fair mechanism of ensuring accountability for possible violations of human rights during the war,” a US Embassy official told the Daily Mirror today.
Deputy Minister of External Affairs Neomal Perera told the Daily Mirror that the Government would look in the matter and make suitable changes. ”We will look into it and do what is suitable. We will consider our past actions, territorial integrity and see which areas we can improve on- if there has been a request made of us we will certainly look into it,” he said.
The Resolution was presented by Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and passed unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday and called on the international community and the UN to establish such a mechanism. The resolution calls on “the Government of Sri Lanka, the international community, and the United Nations to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding accountability.”
The resolution also calls on the government to allow for greater access for “humanitarian organizations, aid agencies, journalists, and international human rights groups.”
It further calls on the Us President to develop a “comprehensive policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United States interests, including respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, economic interests, and security interests.”
Meanwhile the US has welcomed the report being prepared by Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. “The United States has welcomed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and we’ve urged that the Commission apply best international practices so that there could be a credible investigation, and we look forward to the Commission submitting its report to President Rajapaksa in May. Obviously we hope those recommendations will be public”, US Assistant Secretary Robert Blake said earlier this week.
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