Singh wrote to Mahinda Rajapaksa and conveyed how New Delhi spared no effort in successfully bringing an element of balance.
Two days after India voted for a UNHRC resolution targeting Sri Lanka, prime minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday and conveyed how New Delhi “spared no effort” in successfully bringing an “element of balance” in the language of the resolution.
The letter was in response to Rajapaksa’s letter dated 19 March — three days before the voting took place at UNHRC — in which he is believed to have sought India’s support for Sri Lanka and expressed Colombo’s sincere intentions in continuing the process of implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
The PM wrote: “I had instructed our delegation to remain in close contact with its Sri Lanka counterparts in an attempt to find a positive way forward. Your Excellency would be aware that we spared no effort and were successful in introducing an element of balance in the language of the resolution.”
The changes in the final resolution were with regard to a placement of an external human rights monitor that an earlier draft resolution had proposed, and India had objected to. The final resolution only spoke of providing “technical assistance” and “advice” but “in consultation” and “in concurrence” with the government of Sri Lanka.
The PM also noted the discussions the two sides have had in the past to discuss the way ahead with regard to a “political solution” that will address all “outstanding issues,” in particular “the grievances of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, in a spirit of understanding and mutual accommodation”.
India’s vote for the resolution was largely seen as a vote by Tamil Nadu political parties rather than India’s foreign policy establishment.
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