Agencies/Colombo

Cabinet spokesman and minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said the recommendations of the Paranagama Commission report was more critical of Sri Lanka than the UNHRC report and added if it was published before the UNHRC report, the situation would have been more precarious for the country.
Responding to a journalist, Senaratne said Sri Lanka had to go a long way to finalise the domestic mechanism as there was a large number of stakeholders to the problem.
“The process indeed is not an easy task because we have to put in place a mechanism acceptable locally and internationally while safeguarding our sovereignty, judicial independence and dignity of the country. That is why the government has given a two day debate in parliament on the UNHRC report, Paranagama report and Udalagama report. President Maithripala Sirisena has called an all party confab to discuss the issue and reach a compromise. In addition, the government will talk to all those concerned on the matter before setting up the local mechanism that will probably require introduction of new legislation,” he emphasised.
Commenting on the allegations made by the opposition during the ongoing two-day debate in parliament, Senaratne reiterated that the local mechanism for a credible inquiry on alleged war crimes would be held under the provisions of Sri Lanka’s basic law and within the judicial parameters comprising judges, prosecutors and defence counsel chosen by Sri Lanka.
“But we have been given the opportunity to obtain expert opinion, advice and know-how from foreign experts who are knowledgeable and experienced in this kind of investigations. But it is definitely not that Sri Lanka is going to have a hybrid court for the purpose,” he said and added foreign advice had been sought in the past in murder inquiries of prime minister S W R DBandaranaike, minister Lalith Athulathmudali and major general Denzil Kobbekaduwa.
Even, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has obtained the services of a team of four foreign eminent persons headed by Sir Desmond De Silva to assist the Paranagama Commission in the recent past, he said.
Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena today called an all-party meeting to ascertain opinions of the leaders of political parties about how the Sri Lankan government should act regarding Geneva Proposals, the President’s Office said.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition Leader R Sampanthan and representatives from 21 parliamentary political parties attended a meeting this evening to discuss the latest UNHRC resolution on the alleged rights abuses committed during the 26-year-old civil war with the LTTE.
Three members including general secretary of a party were allowed to participate in the meeting. President of All Party Representative Committee Tissa Vitharana, leader of Democratic Party Sarath Fonseka, leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya Udaya Gammanpila and leader of Labor National Front P Digambaram also participated in the meeting.
According to government sources, outcome of the all party meeting will determine the government’s course of action with regard to the domestic inquiry mechanism.
The UNHRC resolution drafted by the US and co-sponsored by Sri Lanka calls for a domestic internal inquiry involving foreign expertise on alleged human rights violations during the war.