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Lanka needs global support on reconciliation process: EU MPs

Colombo, Jan 27 (PTI) Lawmakers of the European Parliament (MEPs) have underlined the need for Europe to be more supportive of Sri Lanka's reconciliation and reconstruction process "rather than constant harassment", amid global pressure on the government to address alleged human rights violations. A group of European Parliament members (MEPs) led by Geoffrey Van Orden said Europe needs to be more supportive of Sri Lankan post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction, "rather than constant harassment". On the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), that was set up to probe the human rights violations during the last stages of the ethnic conflict in 2009, Van Orden said that international organizations which had dubbed it "a whitewash had been proved dramatically wrong". The group said they had been encouraged by the steps already taken by the Lankan government towards reconciliation such as the parliamentary select committee on devolution, promotion of a trilingual policy and bilateral talks with the main Tamil party TNA, according to a Lankan government release here. Sri Lanka has faced growing international criticism over its rights record with the report of a special UN panel issued last April. It called for an independent investigation into alleged civilian casualties and war crimes committed by both the LTTE and government troops during the last phase of the military conflict in May 2009. The government cited the LLRC as its own mechanism for accountability.