Resolution a harpoon in the skin of country’s politics: Dayan
March 23, 2012 01:09 pm
India’s stance regarding the UN resolution on Sri Lanka was “the most important single factor” at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, and India voicing its intention of supporting the resolution may have affected the voting of other nations, says Dayan Jayatilleka, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in France.
The former Sri Lankan Permanent Representative to the United Nations said it may have possibly affected the final outcome as countries, which were prepared to vote against the US resolution with Sri Lanka, abstained from voting while countries hoping to abstain from voting had voted in favor of the resolution.
Amidst pressure from Tamil Nadu and DMK, a key ally of the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in Parliament that India “is inclined to vote in favour of the resolution.”
Subsequently India voted against Sri Lanka by voting in favour of the US sponsored resolution, which was adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday.
Speaking to Ada Derana today (23) Dr. Jayatilleka stated that the resolution contains several points beyond the LLRC report, especially certain allegation regarding violations of international law as well as seeking assistance and working with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, which according to the him are quite dangerous.
Comparing the resolution on Sri Lanka to a harpoon lodged into the skin of the country’s politics, the Ambassador said, “Whale hunters fire a harpoon with a rope attached to it at the whale. Even as the whale swims away the harpoon is still lodged in it.”
Now Sri Lanka has been hit by a somewhat small harpoon. The harpoon may have been fire to the leg but you cannot say it will have no effect, he added.
The former Sri Lankan Permanent Representative to the United Nations said it may have possibly affected the final outcome as countries, which were prepared to vote against the US resolution with Sri Lanka, abstained from voting while countries hoping to abstain from voting had voted in favor of the resolution.
Amidst pressure from Tamil Nadu and DMK, a key ally of the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in Parliament that India “is inclined to vote in favour of the resolution.”
Subsequently India voted against Sri Lanka by voting in favour of the US sponsored resolution, which was adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday.
Speaking to Ada Derana today (23) Dr. Jayatilleka stated that the resolution contains several points beyond the LLRC report, especially certain allegation regarding violations of international law as well as seeking assistance and working with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, which according to the him are quite dangerous.
Comparing the resolution on Sri Lanka to a harpoon lodged into the skin of the country’s politics, the Ambassador said, “Whale hunters fire a harpoon with a rope attached to it at the whale. Even as the whale swims away the harpoon is still lodged in it.”
Now Sri Lanka has been hit by a somewhat small harpoon. The harpoon may have been fire to the leg but you cannot say it will have no effect, he added.
