Hague: 'UK Visit Put Spotlight On Sri Lanka'

The Foreign Secretary has insisted it is in Sri Lanka's own interests to hold an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes, as international pressure would only continue to grow.

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan programme, William Hague also defended the attendance of the UK at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Colombo, arguing it had shone a "spotlight" on human rights concerns.

David Cameron has come under fire from campaigners for not joining the leaders of Canada, India and Mauritius in boycotting the summit in protest over the regime's record.

But the Prime Minister said he had used the occasion to highlight issues, and raise them directly with Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

During his visit Mr Cameron became the first world leader to travel to Sri Lanka's war-torn north since the country gained independence in 1948.

As many as 40,000 civilians are estimated to have died in the final months of the regime's 26-year fight with Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009, according to the UN, whose call for an international investigation if no new inquiry is held are backed by Mr Cameron.

Mr Cameron is the first world leader to visit Sri Lanka's war-torn north

But these demands have been rejected by Mr Rajapaska, who denies claims of war crimes and ongoing abuses.

Mr Hague told Sky News: "Clearly the Sri Lankan government don't want to do that.

"But the point we have been making and the Prime Minister's made very forcefully to the President is that they do need to do that unless there's going to be more and more international pressure, including when the United Nations Human Rights Council meets next March."

He added: "It would be in the interests of Sri Lanka to build real reconciliation in this country after a terrible war, and that means respecting human rights, it means making sure that there's a true feeling of reconciliation among the people of Sri Lanka, and accountability for what's happened in the past.

"I think what's happened at this Commonwealth heads of government meeting is that it has shone a spotlight.

"The attendance of the UK at this meeting has shone a spotlight on these things and has put them under greater international pressure.

"Unless they take some action to set up their own thorough, independent, credible inquiry into allegations about the past, then that international pressure not just from the UK but from many other countries is going to grow and I think that does cause them concern."

Mr Hague also said the UK government raised human rights concerns with countries around the world, including Zimbabwe.

He said: "Do we meet, have we met ministers in the government in Zimbabwe and discussed human rights issues with them? Yes of course we have.

"We do that with countries all over the world."

Many Commonwealth countries face claims of human rights abuses, with 41 out of 53 states having laws that make homosexuality illegal.

Mr Hague hailed the Commonwealth a remarkable "network", but went on: "Does that mean we agree about everything? No it doesn't.

"You are right that many of them have laws about homosexuality we don't agree with."

But meetings provided the opportunity to lobby on cases of discrimination.

"These meetings do put peer pressure on those countries.

"There's a lot of positive pressure that comes from these meetings and we should keep that up," he said.

But human rights activist Bianca Jagger argued Mr Cameron had been wrong to attend the meeting in Sri Lanka, and said it have the regime in Colombo credibility.

She said, also on Murnaghan: "If he had not gone it would have challenged not just what happened in the northern part of Sri Lanka, and the fact that this country probably committed war crimes, and it would have as well questioned whether the Commonwealth is committed to human rights, good governance and democracy."

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Hague: 'UK Visit Put Spotlight On Sri Lanka'

Dengan url

http://junesstatical.blogspot.com/2013/11/hague-uk-visit-put-spotlight-on-sri.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Hague: 'UK Visit Put Spotlight On Sri Lanka'

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Hague: 'UK Visit Put Spotlight On Sri Lanka'

sebagai sumbernya