The Minister of State in the British Foreign Office, Hugo Swire, said on Saturday, that the oral report which Sri Lanka is to give to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at Geneva in June this year, cannot be a “cosmetic” exercise.

Addressing the media at the end of his visit to the island nation, Swire said that while Lanka has restored freedoms, it has to show the UNHRC, “significant progress” in matters relating to accountability and reconciliation  listed in the joint resolution passed by the Council in September last year. It is not going to be  just a matter of “ticking boxes”, he warned.

Asked about complaints in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna about the overwhelming military presence there even six years after the war, Swire said that while a good deal of land under military occupation has been handed back to civilians, the “pace of return could be increased.” The government should also see that the lands that are returned are in a good condition, suitable for the resumption of agriculture. And fishermen should be ensured access to the sea.

On the conflicting Tamil voices, seen with the emergence of the Tamil Makkal Peravai (TMP) led by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran, Swire said that while differences are normal in a democracy, it will be in the interest of the Tamils “to speak with one voice.”

On the opposition from the Sinhalese majority to the UNHRC’s demand for the involvement of foreigners in the proposed Judicial Mechanism to investigate and try war crimes cases, Swire said that the mechanism will be a domestic one with a foreign involvement. The exact nature of the mechanism is still being discussed, he explained.

On the controversial offer of British assistance to the Lankan armed forces in upholding human rights, Swire said that the British forces have expertise in the matter of operating in a democratic country with a democratically elected government. While armed forces are primarily meant to defend the borders, they may sometimes be deployed within borders in a democratic set up, and training in operating in the latter is needed. Additionally, training in this sphere will help the Lankan armed forces when they are deployed abroad in UN peace keeping missions.

On his plan to bring US$ 1 billion in British investments into Lanka, Swire said that prior to that, Lanka should tackle corruption as corruption puts off overseas investors. On prospects of Lanka’s getting back GSP Plus concessions from the EU, Swire said that while the UK is backing Lanka, the latter will have to meet EU human rights norms.

(The New Indian Express)