Air strike Unwarranted: SL

31 March 2011 10:21 pm Views - 5240

The government while expressing its displeasure over the air attack on Libya by the US led NATO forces said indiscriminate killing of people by the NATO forces was not acceptable to any government.

Addressing the weekly news briefing yesterday, cabinet spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the intruding forces have acted beyond the mandate given by the UN to protect civilians in Libya. 

 “The UN sanctions were meant only to protect civilians from the attack of forces supporting the government in Libya. Sri Lanka is much concerned about the killing of innocent people. The same happened in Eritrea and Iraq where there was same human sufferings,” Minister Rambukwella said. 

Asked about the double dealing of the west where Sri Lanka is being accused of human rights violations during the tail end of the war against LTTE terrorism which was an internal matter of Sri Lanka and the steps taken by the NATO forces to target Libya for aerial bombing that has claimed thousands of innocent lives by now, Minister Rambukwella said the people will be the best judges to decide on these issues.

Sri Lanka would never condone the infringement of the sovereignty of a country by another country. Never mind whether they are our friends, powerful or weak nations, he said.

Sri Lanka fought a civil war within its own territory and it has a legitimate right to protect civilians from the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world in whatever way it chooses fit. Sri Lanka has never violated any UN or international law in its fight against terrorism, he stressed.  (Sandun A. Jayasekera)