BY Pamodi Waravita
Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said yesterday (23) that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) hopes to develop a truth-seeking mechanism in Sri Lanka as part of its reconciliation process.
“The Nawaz Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report is very informative. One of its recommendations that we want to develop is the truth-seeking mechanism. Here, we do not wish to reinvent the wheel. There is no purpose in going back. No two situations are exactly alike, when we look at the experiences of other countries such as South Africa in particular. But we are always taking care to adopt the successful experiences of other countries to suit the circumstances in our country,” Prof. Peiris said.
The second interim report of the CoI, headed by Supreme Court Judge Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz was handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last month.
Prof. Peiris was speaking at the media briefing held jointly with US State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland at the Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday, which was conducted following the fourth Sri Lanka-US Partnership Dialogue in Colombo. Prof. Peiris said that the ministry had briefed Nuland about the reconciliation process in the aftermath of the 30-year-long civil war.
He added that the assistance of the US is “most welcome” in this endeavour of a truth-seeking mechanism.
Nuland said that the notion of setting up a truth-seeking mechanism is a “very good step” and that the US looks forward to supporting Sri Lanka in that process.
“Setting up a truth-seeking mechanism, as other countries with difficult histories have done, particularly taking advantage of the South African experience, is a very good step,” she said.
According to Prof. Peiris, other points of discussion had been about the “initiative” by President Rajapaksa to have a meeting with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) tomorrow (25), the constitutional reform process, the amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA), and the GoSL’s “purposeful work” with members of the civil society.
Commenting on the upcoming meeting between the President and the TNA, Nuland said that the US welcomes it, noting it to be a “very important step”.
She further encouraged the GoSL to hold the Provincial Councils (PCs) Elections and to broaden the democratic space in the country.
“We commend the first steps taken towards national healing, human rights, and justice, particularly with regard to the PTA and the release of certain prisoners. There is more to do. We commend the partnership of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Justice Ministry in moving forward on all these issues concerning national healing and justice. As you take those steps, it will open even more space for our partnership, particularly in the security arena,” she said.
Nuland visited Sri Lanka yesterday along with US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Assistant Secretary Donald Lu.