Sri Lanka won an important victory over LTTE - Blake

 

June 26, 2009  10:14 am

Former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the new Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia, Robert Blake, new told at the hearing of the Congressional Subcommittee on South Asia, yesterday (June 25) that Sri Lanka won an “important victory in the North” when it defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Assistant Secretary Blake, testifying before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, called on Sri Lanka to quickly resettle the 300,000 internally displaced persons in the North and to hold provincial elections. “The action the Sri Lankan government takes now,” Assistant Secretary Blake said, “in the aftermath of the war, with respect to both humanitarian relief and political inclusion for minorities, will be important to securing an end to terrorism and a lasting peace.”

During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Gary Ackerman (D-New York) said that, “I think the United Statesshould offer its assistance to relieving the suffering of the displaced as much as we can and, while fully respecting the sovereignty of Sri Lanka, should encourage true national reconciliation.”

Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the U.S., met with Blake at the U.S. State Department a day before the hearing to congratulate Blake on his confirmation to his new post by the U.S. Senate. The Ambassador and Blake spoke about the Humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka, particularly resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs) and plans for redevelopment and elections in the North.