By Saman Indrajith
Sri Lanka will fulfill the pledges made to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told the Parliament on Friday.The PM said that steps were being taken to release the remaining LTTE detainees and the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) had reached the final stage, he said.
Those were the two main demands made by the UNHRC, he said.President Ranil Wickremesinghe will provide the necessary guidance in releasing LTTE detainees who had been languishing in prison for a long time, Premier Gunawardena said.
“The draft Bill to repeal the PTA has been approved by the Cabinet. It will be presented to the Parliament soon,” he said.
Commenting on the outcome of the recent UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister said the country was not isolated internationally.About 20 countries had abstained from voting to honour their countries’ international and domestic policies, he said.
“Their decision at the UNHRC will not affect trade, aid or any other matter concerning Sri Lanka,” he said.
Opposition MP Prof. Peiris said the resolution on Sri Lanka had been adopted because the country had failed to fulfill its pledges made to the international community.Sri Lanka had failed to obtain the support of countries like Qatar, UAE and Asian nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia, Prof. Peiris said.