Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Senior US diplomats to visit SL for war crimes talks

The US State Department said on Monday two senior diplomats are due to visit Sri Lanka later this month for talks about war crimes committed during the final months of the military conflict against the LTTE.

Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake and Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Maria Otero are visiting the island from February 12-14.

Issues to be discussed with Sri Lankan officials include "peace, accountability and reconciliation processes".

The visit comes just before the UN Human Rights Council Session commences in Geneva at the end of the month.

It is thought the US will push for a resolution to increase pressure on Sri Lanka to probe war crimes.

"The US is mounting pressure on us this time, but we should be able to get over the difficulties because we have strong support from India," a government source in Colombo told AFP on Sunday.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.