Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has expressed these sentiments today to the U.S. Ambassador in Colombo Patricia Butenis when he met the envoy to discuss the report that a group of U.S. senators and house representatives has asked the Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton for an international inquiry on Sri Lanka.
The Minister referring to a cable recently released by WikiLeaks which informed the Washington that Sri Lankan government has colluded with paramilitary groups in the East to control the LTTE and turned a blind eye to their crimes said the "purported cables contain glaring instances of allegations totally unwarranted by the ground reality, being conveyed to Washington."
Citing the allegations of children being sold into slavery, with the boys to work in camps and the girls to prostitution rings noted in the cable sent in May 2007 by then U.S. Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Minister Peiris has told Ms. Butenis that such false stories, clearly fabricated to denigrate Sri Lanka, are totally negative to the objective of diplomacy, which is building bridges and promoting understanding.
The Minister has told the envoy that at least where future instances may be concerned, greater circumspection would be appropriate.
Referring to the letter sent by the U.S. lawmakers saying that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) appointed by the President to probe the war lacks mandate and broad scope, the Minister said on the contrary, the LLRC has the necessary amplitude for its effective functioning.
In separate letters to Secretary Clinton, 17 senators and 30 members of the House of Representatives have called for the United States to seek a United Nations role investigating the final stages of the war.
The Minister has pointed out that the LLRC conducted 35 public sessions in Colombo and also met in the Eastern and Northern provinces for the affected masses to submit their representations to the Commission.
Recalling his meeting with Secretary Clinton on May 28th this year in the State Department where she had observed that LLRC holds promise, Minister Peiris has told the Ambassador Butenis that it is important to allow the Commission the necessary space and time to accomplish its objectives.
The Minister has expressed hope that the U.S. Embassy in Colombo and the State Department in Washington would convey to the Senators and Congressmen, the need to avoid being pushed by false propaganda towards the adoption of a pre-judgmental attitude.
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