Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the EU says the Human Rights Sub-Committee is not interested in a balanced discussion on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union (EU) has said that the European Parliament is allowing itself to be used as a platform for LTTE sympathizers to discredit Sri Lanka.

In a letter of protest addressed to Heidi Hautala, chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has strongly protested the denial of Sri Lanka's 'right of reply' at an "exchange of views on Sri Lanka" held last week at the European Parliament.

He has said that, "its denial by the Presiding officer at the time, leaves the unmistakable impression that the Human Rights Sub-Committee is not interested in having a reasoned and balanced discussion on Sri Lanka, but is merely content to allow itself (the European Parliament) to be used as a platform for LTTE apologists to discredit the Government of Sri Lanka."

Aryasinha has informed Hautala, who was not present during the discussion, that in the over an hour long discussion on Sri Lanka on December 6, of the 32 members of the European Parliament on the Sub-Committee only one chose to speak.

The Ambassador has charged that other than for a few comments by the European Commission, most of the time was given to a number of Non-Governmental Organizations.