Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, on Friday ( 8 March 2013) intervened at a meeting called by the United States to discuss the Draft Resolution on ‘Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka’.

Chaired by US Human Rights Ambassador Eileen Donahoe, many member and observer states of the Human Rights Council participated in the discussion, while a number of Non-Governmental Organizations were also present at the event.

Please find attached comments made by Ambassador Aryasinha at this event, which outlines Sri Lanka's position on the draft resolution.

Sri Lanka made an intervention at the Annual Full Day Meeting on Rights of the Child – the Right of the Child to the highest attainable standard of health today, 07^th March 2013.  The Statement was delivered by Ms. Dilini Gunasekera.

Full text of the Statement

Sri Lanka made an intervention at the Annual Discussion on Human Rights and Persons with Disability on 06^th March 2013. The Statement was delivered by Mr. Madhuka Wickramarachchi.

Full text of the Statement

Sri Lanka made an intervention at the Clustered ID with the WG on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances & the SR on Freedom of Religion or Belief on 06^th March 2013. The Statement was delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, Ms. Manisha Gunasekera.

Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, addressing the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on Tuesday (05 March 2013), expressed the disappointment of Sri Lanka over the failure of the CD to reach consensus on its Programme of Work. He urged Member States to make concerted efforts to reach an early agreement on the Programme of Work. Ambassador Aryasinha highlighted that Nuclear Disarmament remains the highest priority of Sri Lanka in the work of the CD and that its international treaty obligations undertaken in the field of Disarmament are an indication of the country’s commitment to the elimination of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Emphasizing the need to reach an early agreement on a universal, unconditional and legally binding instrument to assure non-nuclear weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, Ambassador Aryasinha said it is imperative to start negotiations for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specific time frame.

Sri Lanka made an intervention at the clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteurs on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism and the WG on Arbitrary Detention,  on 05^th March 2013. The Statement was delivered by Deputy Solicitor General Buwaneka Aluwihare.  

Full text of the Statement.

Sri Lanka made an intervention at the Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, on 05 March 2013. Ms. Manisha Gunasekara, Deputy Permanent Representative delivered the statement on behalf of Sri Lanka.  

Full text of the Statement. 

The Government of Sri Lanka strongly protests against the efforts by the organizers of this event – Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains (FIFDH), to use the UN premises for the  screening of this film “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka”. Sri Lanka also strongly protests the perception that has been sought to be created in the public mind, through pro-LTTE websites, as well as by duping even better known media organs such as even the International Herald Tribune, which yesterday in an article quoted the Director of this film Mr. Callum Macrae as saying that the film “would be screened at the 22^nd Session of the Human Rights Council now underway in Geneva, where the United States plans to introduce a resolution asking Sri Lanka to investigate the allegations of the war crimes by its army”.

Sri Lanka views this film ‘No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’, which follows the screening of ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ (June 2011) and ‘Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished’ (March 2012) screened on the sidelines of previous HRC sessions, as part of a cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign that is strategically driven and aimed at influencing the debate in the Council on Sri Lanka. It is clearly motivated by collateral political considerations.

Hon.  Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Plantation Industries and Special Envoy  of H.E. the President of Sri Lanka on Human Rights,  Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation, today (27^th February 2013) delivered  the National  Statement at the High Level Segment of the 22^nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Full text of the speech.

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Exercising a ‘right of Reply’ to a statement made by Ms Esther Brimmer, US Assistant Secretary of State for international organisations during the High Level Segment of the 22^nd Human Rights Council today ( 26 February 2013), Ms. Priyanga Wicremasinghe, Counsellor of the Sri Lanka Permanent Mission in Geneva said, “Sri Lanka should be encouraged in its reconciliation process, rather than being singled out for any disproportionate attention in this Council”. She said, “it is especially so, at a time when having overcome a 30-year long terrorist conflict, as well as having averted what many feared would be a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, Sri Lanka is implementing a comprehensive process of reconciliation involving all communities based on the National Action Plan on the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC”.

 

Sri lanka has lodged a formal protest against the screening of the latest Channel 4 documentary film “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” organized by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and FIFDH at the Palais de Nations in Geneva on 1^st March 2013. In a letter addressed to Ambassador Remigiusz Achilles Henczel, President of the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ravinatha Aryasinha said “Sri Lanka views this film, as well as the timing of its broadcast as part of a cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign that is strategically driven, and clearly motivated by collateral political considerations”.

Full text of the Media release

The newly appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mr. Nimal Karunatilake presented his credentials to Director General of the WTO, Mr. Pascal Lamy on 13^th February 2013.

Having welcomed the new Ambassador, Mr. Lamy provided him with a brief update on the state of play in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations, which is commonly known as the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), with special emphasis on areas where the WTO Members have been able to achieve considerable progress in consensus building.  

Mr. Lamy also said that the WTO would be pleased to offer more technical assistance for capacity building in trade-related institutions in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has called on Sri Lankans living abroad "to contribute towards moderating the negative narratives propagated against Sri Lanka – by clarifying genuine concerns and debunking the falsehoods".  

The Ambassador made these observations when he addressed the 65th Independence Day celebrations attended by Sri Lankans living in Geneva and surrounding cities, held last week at the ‘ILO Headquarters in Geneva'. The event organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva, and attended by around 250 members of the Sri Lankan community, showcased Sri Lanka's religious & cultural diversity.

Full News Release........

Full Address by Ambassador Aryasinha........

Independence Celebrations - Photo gallery........

President Mahinda Rajapaksa reminded the world of the provisions in the United Nations Charter of calling on all nations to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state in their international relations. 

He said that nothing contained in the present Charter shall authroize the UN to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter.

President Rajapaksa said this while addressing the nation on the 65th Independence anniversary celebrations held at the Eastern post city of Trincomalee today.

“Mr. James Moore who was Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Colombo, you would be able to see the difference between that time and now on the ground, in the war affected areas,’’ External Affairs Minister Prof G. L Peiris told Mr. Moore who is one of the members of the US high level delegation now in Colombo, when he met with the delegation last evening.

The Eighth meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was held on 22 January 2013 in New Delhi. It was co-chaired by Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs of India and Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka. The Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting at the level of the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries on 21 January 2013.

The Thai Pongal festival marks a renewal of the strong links between humans and nature and the unity of people and communities in worship to deities and in day-to-day life. It is a symbol of devotion to deities, gratitude for blessings, and hopeful beginnings for the future, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

“This festival brings families together in a spirit of renewed affection and understanding and joins communities in paying tribute to the Sun God for a successful harvest and expectations of continued blessings for good harvests and success in the coming year,” President said in a message to mark the Thai Pongal festival.