By Wajid Ali Syed – Washington Correspondent for Asian Tribune
Washington, 14 May, (Asiantribune.com): The State department has said that the United State is frustrated along with the international community on the situation in Sri Lanka.
In a daily briefing, the spokesperson said that the US is disturbed by the killings of civilians and shelling in the safe zone. "We’re working with the international community to maintain pressure on all sides, we’re also working with the UN and allies to develop a humanitarian response" he added.
The spokesperson maintained that US is pressurizing LTTE and Sri Lanka to honor their commitments and allow civilians to leave the zone where they’re trapped. "We’re calling on the government to stop use of heavy weapons into the so-called safe zones."
Responding to a question that - the situation in Sri Lanka fits UN provisions regarding the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the spokesperson said, US wants Sri Lanka government to stop indiscriminate shelling and abide by its April 27 commitment to end major combat operations, and the use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone.
The US and other concerned UN members recently met to discuss the Sri Lanka situation. "We urge both sides to take the steps necessary to protect the civilians and allow humanitarian access for the UN and other organization," he stated.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
We are all concerned about
We are all concerned about the civilians. If Sadam Husain took the 3,000 odd westerners working in Baghdad hostage at the start of Iraq war, what the Americans would have done? Very limited options to free them, but perhaps would have used technology to conduct surgical attacks on Iraqi leadership. What the Americans should do at this stage is to extend corporation to Sri Lanka government to destroy the Tamil Tiger leadership without harming the civilians they are using as a Human Shield. Perhaps Americans also can pressurize the Tamil Tigers to give up their arms and surrender once and for all for the benefit of all people. The Tamil Diaspora around the world is hiding this fact, and making a big noise that the government of Sri Lanka is killing innocent civilians. Actually it is the Tamil Tigers who are holding these civilians as a human shield putting them in harms way.
The US must surely realise
The US must surely realise the hostage value of any internationals to the LTTE, and that humanitarian agencies allowed into the NFZ will result in them being taken hostage as bargaining leverage for the LTTE leaders' amnesty.
As for concern for the civilians...surely it is clear enough that it is concern for civilians in a way that NO OTHER MILITARY ON THE PLANET has displayed, that has enabled the more than 120,000 civilians to have already made their flight to freedom and are now the burden of the Government of Sri Lanka? More efforts to enable civilians to escape will continue, but the world's general negative attitude towards a military that has done more than anything we have seen anywhere else in the world, does not help. Encouragement seems hard to come by from the world community, and one wonders WHY THIS IS SO. WHY so stingy with praise where praise is due???
Why should the military keep on targeting a makeshift hospital for goodness sake? To kill already maimed people?? Get real..State Dept.!
It will be far less frustrating if the State Dept. expresses a greater reliance on the bona fides of the Sri Lankan govt. to do what is right despite the difficulties of this situation.
The US should understand after the Katrina debacle that things are not so easy. It is all well as easy to be critical, but what Sri Lanka needs is support.
We can but you cant - why
We can but you cant - why cant the US get to the Taliban without using heavy weapons, air-strikes & not killing civilians. Shameless to even open thier foul mouths against Sri Lanka.
If US support the
If US support the elimination of LTTE, they can pressurise the Tamil Diaspora in their own country.
Instead, the actions of the US support the terrorist diaspora to provide more financial aid to LTTE to prolong the agony of all civilians in Sri Lanka.
It is the money supplied by terrorist diaspora in countries like US that keep the LTTE buying arms and killing Tamils who wish to escape from the hostage situation.
Govt has saves around 120,000 civilian hostages from LTTE. It is time the Western Govts give credit to the effort of the GOSL.
In hostage situation, some collateral damage cannot be avoided. In Mumbai, it was reported that approx. 186 people died during the attack on a few hotels there.
Why are we not facing the reality.
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