India against sending UN probe team to Sri Lanka

The Indian Government has reiterated that it is against sending an United Nations investigation team to Sri Lanka to probe human rights violations allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan security forces during the decades-long war.

The previous UPA Government of India abstained from voting on the UN resolution adopted in March this year at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva mandating the investigation to be led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

India voted against the specific paragraph of the resolution, Operative Paragraph 10 that called for sending an international team to Sri Lanka, reports the Colombopage.

During the discussions held between India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Sri Lankan counterpart Minister G. L. Peiris in New Delhi recently, Swaraj had told Prof. Peiris that there is no change in India's position on the issue.

Speaking at a media briefing following the meeting, India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin recalled that India abstained on the resolution and also voted against the specific paragraph that wanted to send a team to the island."Our views are pretty clear on this.

"This is not about a country specific issue; this is a matter of principle that we have always held," Akbaruddin had told the reporters then.