THE British Government appears to be perturbed over the Sri Lankan government’s decision to disallow Des Browne, Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, as a special envoy.
This was clearly demonstrated in the joint statement by David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth and Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development on the current situation in Sri Lanka last week.
The statement noted that "the appointment by the Prime Minister of my Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun Des Browne as his Special Envoy to Sri Lanka was a measure of the UK’s commitment to contribute to an improvement in the humanitarian situation and to the search for a sustainable political solution to the conflict.
"It should be seen as such. We have been disappointed that the government of Sri Lanka continues to reject the appointment, despite earlier assurances from the President that his government would engage with an envoy.
"We will continue to press the Sri Lankan government to reconsider. In the meantime Des Browne will engage with representatives of other countries, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians and community representatives with an interest in Sri Lanka."
The joint statement also said that the LTTE’s territory is shrinking and the British Government is concerned about the fate of the civilians caught up in the fighting between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"Both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians at all times", it said.
"We recognize that the LTTE is a terrorist organization and that the government of Sri Lanka has a need to root out the threat from terrorism. But, the over-riding need is for an immediate end to the tragic humanitarian crisis. We want to see an end to the conflict and a serious drive to achieve a sustainable political settlement that takes fully into account the legitimate concerns of all Sri Lanka’s communities - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. As part of this process, the government of Sri Lanka needs to tackle seriously the problem of human rights violations and the culture of impunity that underpins it", the statement said.
It also urged the government to ensure that all violations, including recent attacks on the media, are thoroughly investigated so that those responsible are brought to justice.
However, peace-loving Sri Lankan expatriates in the UK applauded President Mahinda Rajapakasa’s decision to reject Des Browne as a special envoy as he had already sided with the LTTE, which is a banned organization in Britain.
Browne had also attended the conference organized by the British Tamil Forum (BTF) in London on March 26, 2009.
(Courtesy : Sunday Island)
