The spokesman said Kerry will express US satisfaction on Sri Lankan government's plan to allow the return of people, including journalists, exiled due to the armed conflict.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Colombo on Saturday on a 2-day visit to express support for the efforts by the new Sri Lankan government to boost democracy, human rights and ensure reconciliation with Tamils.
Kerry will become the first US Secretary of State to visit Sri Lanka in 10 years. Commenting on the visit, a US State Department official in Washington yesterday said Kerry will express support for the efforts taken by the new Maithripala Sirisena government to expand the space for democracy and human rights.
The spokesman said Kerry will express US satisfaction on Sri Lankan government's plan to allow the return of people, including journalists, exiled due to the armed conflict. The US expects Sri Lanka to allow the journalists to express freely and return the lands of Tamils in the north acquired by the state for military purposes.
The US also appreciated the new government's engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and the willingness shown to invite UN special rapporteurs. The visit comes following years of strained relations between the US and Sri Lanka's previous government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa had faced criticism from the West for refusing to cooperate with a probe into alleged war crimes committed during a crackdown on the LTTE. Sri Lanka under Rajapaksa was subjected to three consecutive US-backed UN Human Rights Council resolutions, the last of which mandated an international inquiry on alleged rights abuses committed by both government troops and the LTTE.
The US will support a domestic driven process that is credible and viewed as credible by the Sri Lankan people, the US spokesman has said on the proposed domestic mechanism to address accountability and reconciliation.
During his visit, Kerry in addition to his meeting with President Sirisena will have talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main Tamil party leader R Sampanthan and the civil society representatives. Colin Powell was the last US State Department chief to visit Sri Lanka in 2004 in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami.
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