US wants division of Lanka through rights resolution: minister

Sri Lanka today accused the US of trying to divide the country, as wished by the rebel Tamil Tigers, through its resolutions against it at the UN rights body.
The US embassy in Colombo has proposed to the government fulfilling of conditions which will lead to their holding back of the upcoming resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), said Wimal Weerawansa, the Housing Minister.
"The US embassy has informed the government that they are willing to hold back the resolution if Sri Lanka took action to withdraw troops completely from the north, confer full police and land powers to the northern provincial council, stop settlement of Sinhalese in the north and removal of high security zones," said Weerawansa, also the leader of the nationalist National Freedom Front.

"This is the separatist agenda. The US wants to justify ethnic cleansing practiced by the LTTE in the north. This is why they want to stop settlement of Sinhalese. Tamils can live anywhere in this country but Sinhalese were chased out by the LTTE. It is clear now the aim of the resolution. They want to separate this country."
The US moved resolution is due to come up at the UNHRC sessions in March. Two previous resolutions backed by India were adopted in the Council binding Sri Lanka for commitments in reconciliation and rights accountability issues.
Sri Lanka has come under increasing international pressure to probe allegations of excessive civilian deaths during the final battle that ended in May 2009.

Meanwhile, the main opposition UNP accused the state controlled media of providing evidence by way of footage of the military battle to "interested parties".
"It was journalists of the state media who were with the troops. We have information that some of the footage had been sold," Lakshman Kiriella, a UNP senior leader said.