Geneva: Claims and counterclaims

The Opposition is hauling the government over the coals for having allowed the latest UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka to be adopted without a vote.

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Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, speaking in Parliament on Thursday, tore into the government for having given in to international pressure in Geneva and made a compromise at the expense of Sri Lanka's interests. He claimed the NPP had bungled the country's Geneva strategy big time owing to its inefficiency and inexperience.

Responding to the Opposition's claims, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that votes for Sri Lanka at the UNHRC had decreased over the years. “Sri Lanka has only won one vote, and that was in 2009. The composition of the council makes it hard for a country like Sri Lanka to win a vote,” he said. This argument is not tenable. The government should have explained why it did not want to ask for a vote on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC forum itself.