French diplomat comments on SL withdrawal of co-sponsorship of UNHRC Resolution

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 February 2020, 16:37 GMT]
A top French diplomat, engaged in geopolitical negotiations with the SL leaders in Colombo has gone on record stating that the SL decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution did not mean that the resolution had disappeared from the table. Agence France-Presse (AFP) filed a news report citing Thierry Mathou, the director of Asia and Oceania for the French Foreign Ministry, as saying that the UNHRC resolution was “legally binding”. The AFP report comes in the wake of the recently observed trend in which France is trying to deepen its cooperation with the unitary state of genocidal Sri Lanka as part of operationalising its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

“Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from the co-sponsorship of the resolution does not mean that the resolution has disappeared. The resolution is still on the table. It is legally binding. The objective is still there. Reconciliation has to be a key priority,” the agency report quoted Thierry Mathou as saying.

“We have heard and read that economic development will lead to reconciliation” in Sri Lanka, Mathou remarked. “I tend to say that in order to reach economic development, you have to get reconciliation. So, the fight against impunity is obviously an important objective,” the AFP news added.

Although the report said that the French Foreign Ministry official was talking to local leaders, it didn’t elaborate on the meetings or the topics of engagements.

France, competing and collaborating with its regional and global Quad partners, has its own “vision for the Indopacific as a multipolar, open and inclusive area.”

On the “Independence Day” of the unitary state of genocidal Sri Lanka, Mr Macron sent a message of greetings to SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“Through the synergies which already exist between our two countries, I hope that the coming months will be an opportunity to deepen our cooperation within the framework of our vision for the Indopacific as a multipolar, open and inclusive area which respects international law. We could focus especially on regional security, the promotion of responsible and sustainable development and increasing our trade, human and cultural exchanges.”

“In the light of this, I offer you once more my sincerest wishes. Please be assured, President, of my highest consideration,” Mr Macron wrote.

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