Not expecting 'miracles' in Lanka's reconciliation efforts:US

The US today said it was not expecting "miracles" in Sri Lanka as the new government sought reconciliation with the minority Tamils following the country's three-decade long civil war with the LTTE.
"We recognise that this process is going to take time. Nobody expects miracles," US assistant secretary of state for human rights Tom Malinowski said after he along with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal called the new Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera here.
Samaraweera said he discussed measures taken by the government to address the human rights concerns following the over three-decade long civil war with the LTTE.

"Now that we have achieved political stability I outlined measures being taken to address concerns regarding the alleged human rights violations including independent domestic mechanisms," Samaraweera said.
"We discussed steps taken by the government to promote reconciliation and strengthen the rule of law, this is part of the government's overall objective of ensuring good governance, respect for human rights and strengthening our economy," he said.
Biswal, who also met Justice Minister Wijeydasa Rajapaksha earlier in the day, said that the progress seen in Sri Lanka and the story which is unfolding, stands as a testimony to the rest of the world.

"Tremendous progress" had been made on reconciliation and combating corruption since Sirisena ousted Rajapakse in January, Biswal said.

"We have seen not only this enduring commitment to democracy but also a tremendous momentum of progress towards institutions of good governance, towards combating corruption and towards promoting reconciliation," she said.
The two-day visit of the US officials assumes significance as the UN Human Rights Council is due to release its war crimes report on Sri Lanka in Geneva next week.
The new Sri Lankan government opted for a domestic mechanism to address human rights concerns raised in the resolution when the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration was in power.

The UN rights body's report was delayed from March as a show of goodwill to the appointment of Sirisena as the new President in January this year.
The report covers investigations on the alleged human rights violations by Rajapaksa government and the LTTE during the final phase of the military clashes which ended in 2009.
In contrast to the Rajapaksa administration, the Sirisena government has improved its relations with the US. It was signified in the visit in May by US Secretary of State John Kerry who became the first US Secretary of State to make an official visit to Colombo since 1972.