EU URGES SRI LANKA TO EXPEDITE COMPREHENSIVE POLITICAL PROCESS

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- The European Union (EU), in conclusions
adopted at its General Affairs Council Meeting in Brussels Monday, has urged the
Sri Lankan government to urgently proceed towards a comprehensive political
process.
It wants the country's President to outline a clear process leading to a
fully inclusive political solution, based on consent, equality and the rule of
law.
In a statement to Bernama, the EU said that a long-term security,
post-conflict reconstruction and prosperity in Sri Lanka could only be achieved
through such a process, to address the legitimate concerns of all of Sri Lanka's
communities.
Appalled by the loss of innocent lives, including children as a result of
the conflict between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
the Union expected all parties to be ready to support this process without any
delay, with both parties taking all the necessary steps to prevent further loss
of lives.
Reports said that Sri Lanka's military has declared a final victory Tuesday
in its decades-old conflict with the Tamil Tigers, after routing the remnants of
the rebel army and killing its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, thus ending his
three-decades quest for an independent homeland for the minority Tamils.
It was reported that more than 70,000 people have been killed in the
fighting, while the United Nations noted that 7,000 civilians were killed
between Jan 20 and May 7.
The EU reiterated the need for all parties to fully respect their
obligations under international humanitarian and human rights laws and that
those who violated these laws should be investigated through an independent
inquiry.
It stressed that "those accountable must be brought to justice."
The EU acknowledged steps already taken by the Sri Lankan government to
address the humanitarian situation of those placed in camps for Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs), but significant obstacles remain.
It said that the civilian nature of the camps, freedom of movement and early
return for IDPs should be ensured.
Full and unhindered access to all IDPs must be guaranteed and current
restrictions on the humanitarian aid agencies, such as visa and checkpoint
problems, should be removed, it added.
The EU said that the Sri Lankan government should quickly take all the
necessary steps to facilitate the evacuation of civilians, as well as the urgent
delivery of humanitarian assistance to them, in line with its obligation to
protect all people under its jurisdiction.
In condemning the LTTE for making use of civilians as human shields and the
forced recruitment of civilians, the EU urged the terrorist organisation to
lay down arms and renounce terrorism and violence once and for all.
-- BERNAMA
TNS FR