UN commends Sri Lanka on human rights

GENEVA - The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Wednesday a resolution which praised the government of Sri Lanka for its commitment to human rights, while condemning the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The resolution, tabled by Sri Lanka itself and other nations, including China, Cuba and Egypt, also allows the government to let aid agencies’ have access to camps for the internally displaced “as may be appropriate”.

A bloc of Western nations, whose counter proposal was defeated, wanted full access for aid groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN agencies.

They also wanted an investigation into alleged human rights violations during the fighting.

Over 250,000 people are internally displaced in Sri Lanka from the fighting between the rebels and the government, which recently ended. Aid groups say they have only limited access to the displaced.