US asks Sri Lanka to develop a comprehensive action plan

The White House has asked Sri Lanka to develop a comprehensive action plan for implementing steps on reconciliation and accountability as asked by a resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva.

"The US urges the Sri Lankan government to develop a comprehensive action plan for implementing steps on reconciliation and accountability, as called for in the resolution, and to work with UN experts and its partners in the international community to take meaningful action to achieve these important goals, which will be a critical part of Sri Lanka's efforts to provide a bright, peaceful, and stable future for all of its people," said Tommy Vietor, spokesman National Security Council, White House.

"We stand ready to partner with Sri Lanka in this important effort," Vietor said in a statement yesterday.

The US Government applauds passage of the UN Human Rights Council's resolution on "Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka," Vietor said.

The resolution, which received broad support from around the world, calls for a range of critical steps that would go a long away to advancing the rights and dignity of the Sri Lankan people.

India voted in favour of the resolution.

Earlier, the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland told reporters that the US wants Sri Lanka to do it (promoting reconciliation and accountability) quickly.

"As soon as possible. We have been proposing and urging this kind of action for many months now. This is pretty straightforward. It is not any different than what we have been asking for since November, which is for the Government of Sri Lanka to communicate to its own people but also to the international community what it intends to do to implement the LLRC's recommendations.

Specifically, we want to see Sri Lanka take concrete action that brings accountability and reconciliation and to put forward a formal implementation plan on the recommendations," she told reporters.