Geneva and CSE avalanche!

OK, everyone says, Sri Lanka will loose in Geneva today.
At the same time, everyone says there is no impact whatsoever on Sri Lanka by this.

But can CSE have an impact?
Can there be a chain reaction started with an avalanche effect for market to spiral down?

Perhaps I am talking of crocodiles in tea cup.

But, Murphy's law teaches us, better be ready for the worse.

Facing defeat in Geneva Sri Lanka caves in and abandons defiant stance at UNHRC
21 March 2012, 10:40 pm
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

In a dramatic reversal, Sri Lanka has abandoned its earlier strategy of adopting a principled position and has now compromised its stance towards the draft resolution tabled by the United States of America regarding the Island nation at the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)in Geneva.

Sri Lanka under the leadership and direction of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been refusing to compromise in any way with the USA on this matter and has instead been lobbying strenuously on the basis of important principles among the 47 member states of the UNHRC.

President Rajapaksa has given clear instructions to senior officials at Sri Lankas ministry of External Affairs that the Country should adopt a principled position and resist the US action rather than cave into American diktat by compromising.

“It does not matter even if we lose but we must go down fighting” the President has reportedly stated.

President Rajapaksa had maintained this stance even after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced in the Indian Parliament that India was “inclined to vote in favour of A resolution on Sri Lanka”.

There was consternation among official circles in Sri Lanka that the Indian change of position would seriously damage prospects of the US sponsored resolution being defeated at the UNHRC

Nevertheless President Rajapaksa remained defiant and had told the minister of External Affairs Prof.Gamini Lakshman Peiris that the resolution should be opposed vehemently even “if we get only one vote at the UNHRC”.

In what amounted to a sharp “U’Turn the President has changed his stance overnight and is now prepared to compromise on the resolution

This apparently is at the behest of Giant neighbour India that has offered a Compromise to Sri Lanka by way of amending the text of the US resolution.

Senior Indian cabinet ministers who communicated with President Rajapaksa have impressed upon him the fact that it would be better to seek a compromise with the US rather than confront it at a vote in the UNHRC and face defeat

India had “gently” pointed out that if Sri Lanka did not heed the advice of New Delhi and proceeded to defy the US at the UNHRC, India would be compelled to canvass against Colombo and in association with the USA ensure the safe passage of the resolution at the UNHRC.

Faced with such a dismal prospect President Rajapaksa had capitulated to the dictates of Delhi and agreed to a compromise by which the draft US resolution would be amended.

India is currently engaged in negotiations with the US as an “honest broker” representing Sri Lanka. The objective is amending the resolution in a manner less stringent on Sri Lanka.

The proposed amendments would also allow Sri Lanka room to “save its face” in Geneva.

Although the final details are not known it is learnt that clauses of the draft resolution would be changed to one in which it would be stipulated that Sri Lanka would be “Consulted” on related issues and that steps would be taken in “concurrence” with Sri Lanka.

If the provisions of an amended resolution are acceptable to Sri Lanka it may then abandon its principled position of opposing the resolution and instead express its “willingness” to comply.

In such a situation there is speculation that the resolution may be deferred and not be put to the vote in this 19th UNHRC session.

Although the resolution was to be taken up for discussion and vote in the morning of Thursday March 22nd it may now be taken up in the Evening or on Friday March 23rd.

If India is able to forge a consensus on the amended resolution it is very likely that only a debate would take place and a vote may not be taken.

This reversal of stance by President Rajapaksa is likely to receive a mixed response . The President’s image as a leader who would not cave into International pressure is likely to be dented.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has revealed that the government was negotiating on the US resolution at the UNHRC calling for accountability and reconciliation issues in Sri Lanka and it might not be put to vote this week.

The deleted leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the deleted parliamentary group meeting in Colombo this , according to party sources.

Wickremesinghe said that the resolution was to be deferred on the strict condition that the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime undertook to speedily implement the LLRCs recommendations which inter alia call for the re-establishment of the independent police, election, public and judicial service commissions required to enforce the rule of law and safeguard human rights.

The government had placed the country and its people in the present predicament, Wickremesinghe said, adding that it was good to hear of a change in attitude even at this late stage.

It is against this backdrop that the UNHRC in Geneva will determine the fate of the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka that has been amended by India.



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Some are expecting a massive Bull Run ! @#$&*+~?><#%

Enter the dragon

Sri Lanka which had only nine votes by last Tuesday against the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC session in Geneva, had managed to increase it to 17 by this morning after a vigorous lobbying campaign by China, informed sources in Geneva told Daily Mirror online. United States is assured of 24 votes. The vote is scheduled to take place at 2.30 pm (SL time) today.

The draft resolution on Sri Lanka was tabled at the 19th session of the UNHRC in Geneva on March 8.

Source: http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/17583-enter-the-dragon.html