Sri Lanka to counter allegations at UN rights sessions

Sri Lanka will counter the charges of human rights violation during the final phase of its military campaign against the LTTE, at the UN Human Rights Council sessions beginning tomorrow in Geneva.
The External Affairs Ministry sources said that Sri Lankan Ambassador in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha is to make a counter statement on the human rights allegations against the country.
The 27th session of the UNHRC is beginning tomorrow in Geneva.
This will be the first session of the UN rights body after the adoption of Sri Lanka resolution in March.
The resolution called for an independent international investigation on the alleged rights abuses in Sri Lanka during the last phase of the military campaign against the LTTE in May 2009.

According to reports, an advance copy of the new rights chief Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein' statement obtained by the local media said: "I encourage the Sri Lankan authorities to cooperate with the process in the interests of justice and reconciliation.
I am alarmed at threats currently being levelled against the human rights community in Sri Lanka".
Sri Lanka has vowed not to cooperate with the investigation including the refusal to grant visas to the UN investigators.