The LTTE fighters were dressed in Indian army uniforms during the final battles of the nearly three-decade long civil war, former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka has said.

Fonseka in an address to the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in Colombo on Tuesday also denied that his troops killed Balachandran, the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran.

With a vote due soon on a U.S.-sponsored resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC), the Indian government has a chance to strongly encourage sustainable peace and political reform in Sri Lanka. Policy-makers in Delhi are clearly disturbed by the Sri Lankan government’s backsliding on promises of devolution of power to Tamil-speaking areas, its politically motivated impeachment of the Chief Justice there and its refusal to comply with last year’s HRC resolution on “Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka.&

India voted in favor of the US resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) while Japan, a close ally of Sri Lanka, abstained from voting.

Libya, which was also a close ally of Sri Lanka at one time under the Gaddafi regime, voted in support of the US resolution.

The other countries that backed the resolution are Argentina, Austria, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’ivoire, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala,  Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Mo

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) today adopted the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka with 25 in favor, it and 8 abstentions.

The US Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, in presenting the resolution to the Council, said that there were 41 co-sponsors to the resolution.

Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, speaking as a concerned country, said that the resolution was unacceptable to Sri Lanka.

The Indian delegation at the UN Human Rights Council today called on Sri Lanka to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the constitution.

Speaking on the US resolution on Sri Lanka submitted to the Council, Indian envoy Dilip Sinha raised concerns over the lack of progress in Sri Lanka on addressing accountability issues.

The Indian delegation also welcomed the announcement that elections will be held in the north later this year.

Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka says that he is ready to answer any questions from any inquiry panel over allegations of war crimes in the final phase of the conflict.

Fonseka made this statement at a news conference with Sri Lanka‘s Foreign Correspondents Association in Colombo.

"I have no problem because I have confidence about how the battle was conducted. We took a lot of responsibility and we were aware of the standards expected from us. We have studied in institutions where they teach you about

Differing views were expressed by delegates at the UN Human Rights Council on the country report on Sri Lanka submitted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

USA:

''We would like to highlight the High Commissioner's report on Sri Lanka and the Secretary General's report on Iran, both of which clearly show the need for the council's continued scrutiny. The United States hopes that all council members will join us in voting for the resolutions before us on these countries.&

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinghe says that during the two days the Sri Lankan delegation has briefed member states regarding the steps taken by the government following the end of the conflict.

The vote on the US-sponsored resolution of Sri Lanka will be held Thursday afternoon, Newsfirst will keep you updated as and when the developments unfold.

Until New Delhi actively participates in multilateral efforts to ensure Sri Lanka’s compliance on the accountability issue, its strongest messages to the Rajapaksa government will go unheeded

With a vote due soon on a U.S.-sponsored resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC), the Indian government has a chance to strongly encourage sustainable peace and political reform in Sri Lanka. Policy-makers in Delhi are clearly disturbed by the Sri Lankan government’s backsliding on promises of devolution of power to

Tamil mothers, sisters, wives and daughters have not yet given up their hopes to find their disappeared sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. The tragedy of endless search continues for them.

Some Tamil women have more than one tragedy to digest. Vasanthathevi Kathirkamanathan is still searching for her missing daughter. And, her husband has been missing since May 2009. “I don’t know whether he is alive or dead. My relatives want me to believe that he was hit by a shell during the heavy fighting in May 2009, and di