§ Dame Judith Hartasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the statement made on the position of Sri Lanka in the Human Rights Commission in Geneva in March by the British representative in the commission.
§ Mr. EggarYes. Details are
Like other delegations who have spoken in this debate, Mr. Chairman, we are concerned by the situation in Sri Lanka and the human rights abuses that are being committed by the security forces. We have consistently pressed on the Sri Lankan Government the need for a political rather than a military solution to the ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka. We will continue to do so, and to discourage them from the idea that the Tamil insurgency can or should be dealt with by military means. We will also continue to urge on the Sri Lankan Government the urgent need to take firm action to stop human rights abuses by the security forces. Similarly we will continue to emphasise in our contacts with opposition leaders in Sri Lanka that a negotiated settlement is the only solution. We are disappointed that there have so far been no signs of progress towards such a settlement.