Europe

Sri Lanka to ask UN for more time to probe war crimes

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 photo, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera gestures as he speaks to foreign correspondants at his residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka says it needs more time to fulfill promises given to the U.N. human rights body to investigate war crime allegations from the nation's long civil war, which ended nearly eight years ago. Samaraweera told foreign correspondents late Tuesday that the government will seek more time at the next U.N. human rights session, starting Feb. 27 in Geneva. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (The Associated Press)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 photo, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera gestures as he speaks to foreign correspondants at his residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka says it needs more time to fulfill promises given to the U.N. human rights body to investigate war crime allegations from the nation's long civil war, which ended nearly eight years ago. Samaraweera told foreign correspondents late Tuesday that the government will seek more time at the next U.N. human rights session, starting Feb. 27 in Geneva. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (The Associated Press)

Sri Lanka's foreign minister says his country needs more time to fulfil promises given to the U.N. human rights body to investigate war crimes allegations from a long civil war that ended seven years ago.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told foreign correspondents on Tuesday that the government will seek more time at the next U.N human rights session starting Feb. 27.

Sri Lanka, in a joint resolution in 2015 at the U.N. Human Rights Council, promised to work toward ethnic reconciliation, which includes investigating alleged abuses.

The U.N. human rights chief had called for a hybrid court with local and international judges. Sri Lanka agreed to the participation of foreign judges before backtracking and now insists on local courts investigating the allegations.