UK talks not on UN report or political solution
Sunday, June 7, 2015
The participants at talks being held in the UK on Sri Lanka strongly denied reports it has anything to do with the UN human rights report on Sri Lanka or on a political solution to the National issue.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran are among those in London to have talks with the Tamil diaspora, including the Global Tamil Forum (GTF).
Taking part in a discussion on a London based Tamil television station, Sumanthiran said the meeting was purely to discuss the immediate needs of the Tamils in the North and East.
He also said that the participants will look at how best to address the immediate concerns of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, both before and after the upcoming Parliament elections.
Sumanthiran said that the London talks were not to be made public but yet information had leaked and this had led to misinformation being spread by some elements.
He also said that there is a role the international community can play in addressing the needs of the Tamils, particularly through financial assistance, and so representatives of some foreign Governments and agencies are also taking part in the UK talks.
The TNA MP said that the Tamil diaspora have also shown interest in having a role to assist the Tamils in the North and East and as a result they are also attending the discussions in London.
GTF spokesman Suren Surenthiran also denied reports that more talks were to take place in Dubai, as was reported on some websites.
He said that at the London talks, the participants will look at a time frame to address the urgent needs of the Tamils.
Colombo Gazette