Sri Lanka must investigate its own war crimes, else risks international probe - US

Government of Sri Lanka on its own must investigate the killing of thousands of civilians in the final months of its separatist war with the LTTE or else may risk an international probe into the alleged war crimes, a high ranking United States official said.

While insisting that the United States is not holding Sri Lanka to any special standards, Robert O. Blake, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South, and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department said in an interview to the AFP news agency that a major issue for the US as well as for the international community is the question of accountability in Sri Lanka's war against the LTTE.

"As you know, the UN has estimated that many thousands of civilians were killed at the end of, in the final few months of the war. Those need to be investigated, preferably by the government of Sri Lanka and its own institutions," Blake said during the interview.

The Assistant Secretary noting that there are still a number of important steps to be taken said the US would prefer to see Sri Lanka taking its own measures to handle those issues.

"It's always best for a host nation to take responsibility for these sensitive issues. But I think also it's important to say that if Sri Lanka is not willing to meet international standards regarding these matters that there will be pressure to appoint some sort of international com [...]