The 25th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council open in Geneva. The Sri Lankan delegation is geared to leave for Geneva with the aim of confronting the challenges. The External Affairs Minister is scheduled to address the sessions on Wednesday.
The Human Rights Council sessions opened today under the auspices of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the UN Human Rights Chief Navaneethen Pillay.
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Human Rights Council session will be led by Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris. He is due to leave for Geneva tomorrow after participating in the BIMSTEC Summit in Myanmar. The other members of the Sri Lankan delegation include Special Envoy to the President on Human Rights and Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and Foreign Secretary Kshenuka Seneviratne.
The Geneva Human Rights Council sessions will continue until the 28th of this month. The United States, Britain and Canada are scheduled to express their views tomorrow. These three countries have taken the lead in the forwarding of a Resolution against Sri Lanka.
In the meantime, it is reported that the United States is planning to introduce the Resolution against Sri Lanka on the 26th of this month.
Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris is planning to hold talks with Navaneethen Pillay during the first week of the sessions.
Sri Lanka has vehemently rejected the recommendation made by the UN Human Rights Commission that an international inquiry should be initiated against Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Government launched a comprehensive programme to appraise the international community in this respect. The Sri Lankan team is ready to make submissions at the sessions in this respect. Many countries including Russia and China have already announced their support to Sri Lanka.
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