Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 18: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he supports the statement that war crimes alleged in Sri Lanka in the final stages of the war are of such magnitude that if unchallenged risk undermining international justice mechanisms; and if he supports the international call on the UN to support an independent international investigation into these alleged crimes [17227/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland supports the promotion of national reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. It is Ireland's view and one shared by the other member States of the European Union that genuine reconciliation among all groups and communities in Sri Lanka is essential and requires justice and accountability for past events. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), appointed in May 2010 by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and which reported to him on 15 November 2011, stated that the root cause of the ethnic conflict in that country lay in failure to address the grievances of the Tamil people.

Last month, the High Representative and Vice President of the EU expressed regret that the questions raised in the report of the Expert Panel of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chaired by Marzuki Darusman, and delivered to the Secretary-General on 12 April, 2011 were not reflected in the LLRC report. Ireland supports the UN Panel of Experts' recommendation for the establishment of an independent international mechanism to investigate allegations of human rights violations by both the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War which ended in 2009. Last week, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ireland together with the EU and others in a Resolution entitled Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka called on the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the LLRC as well as to fulfil its legal obligations with regard to alleged violations of international law.

Further, we have called on the Sri Lankan Government to respect the rights of individuals and civil society that have cooperated with the UN mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council and to allow for their safe return to Sri Lanka.

The EU believes that accountability is an essential part of the process of national reconciliation and sustainable peace and encourages Sri Lanka to take the necessary measures.

Together with EU members at the Human Rights Council and other levels, Ireland will continue to convey concern over reports of intimidation and reprisals against civil society representatives in Sri Lanka. Free and unhindered contact and cooperation with individuals and civil society are indispensable for the UN to fulfil its mandates.