U.S. expresses rights concern, urges progress on power-sharing proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2007, 17:32 GMT]
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns has expressed serious concern over credible reports of continued severe human rights abuses in Jaffna and other parts of Sri Lanka and ongoing threats to freedom of the press when he met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, according to a media note released by the U.S. Department of State.

Full text of the media note follows:

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 4, 2007

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns Meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama

Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns met with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama today for 45 minutes at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Under Secretary Burns and Minister Bogollagama reviewed the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Burns welcomed progress in reducing abductions in Colombo. However, he noted serious concern over credible reports of continued severe human rights abuses in Jaffna and other parts of the country and ongoing threats to freedom of the press.

Under Secretary Burns urged the government of Sri Lanka to do more to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations and to put an end to disappearances on the island nation.

In addition, he urged progress on a power-sharing proposal that will give a political voice to all moderate Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese.