Sri Lanka hopeful of Indian backing at UNHRC

Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it remained hopeful of India's backing against a U.S. sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Karunatillaka Amunugama told Xinhua that India is likely to make its decision however at the very last minute when the final document is presented. "Of course we will remain hopeful that India will back us. Even we are waiting to see what their response is," Amunugama said. India had earlier this month stated that it had not yet decided on its stance on the U.S.-sponsored resolution against its neighboring country and added that India was monitoring the developments in Geneva carefully. "India is not yet aware about the contents in the new U.S. resolution on Sri Lanka. First of all, we have to study it properly," India's Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office, V. Narayanaswamy had said. Commenting further on India's stance, Narayanaswamy added that India would approach the Sri Lankan Lankan issue in a manner similar to which it handled the issue last year. "It is too early to say what sort of stance India will take on the U.S. resolution. The country will take the right decision at the right time," he stressed. Meanwhile the Sri Lankan government will on Friday give its official response to the U.S. resolution when Minister Mahinda Samarasingha addresses the Council. The Sri Lankan government last week vehemently rejected the new resolution saying that the resolution is "substantive, intrusive and political in nature." The government had appointed a committee to study and make recommendations on the draft resolution on Sri Lanka that has been tabled by the United States in Geneva.