The United States will be working with the new government of Sri Lanka and other key stakeholders to follow up on the United Nations investigation into mass atrocities committed during the armed conflict on the island, said its ambassador in Geneva.

Speaking at an organisational meeting last week, ahead of the 30th Session UN Human Rights Council, Ambassador Keith Harper said:

“On behalf of a core group, we plan to offer a resolution on Sri Lanka to follow up on the new Sri Lankan government’s efforts to promote reconciliation and accountability and on the release of the report of the OHCHR investigation requested in HRC resolution 25/1.   We hope to work collaboratively with the new government of Sri Lanka and key stakeholders on this text.  The first informal has been scheduled for September 17 in Room 24 from 10 to noon.”

His comments come as two senior US officials visited Sri Lanka and announced the US would support the Sri Lankan government in creating a credible domestic process to address accountability and reconciliation. US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, Tom Malinowski, added that any investigation by Sri Lanka into mass atrocities committed at the end of the armed conflict must be credible to the international community and must have some degree of international involvement.

The United Kingdom also announced it was still fully committed to the UN process, including the upcoming report on mass atrocities on the island.

The Tamil National Alliance and over 40 civil society organisations reiterated their calls this week for an international mechanism to address accountability.