U.S. claims to have UN support for independent probe on Sri Lankan war crimes

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The United States has said it gained United Nations’ support to push Sri Lanka to allow an independent probe into government atrocities carried out in country's 26-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009.

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council Eileen Donahoe said the council is set to accept a U.S. resolution to that effect during a meeting in Geneva.

"We don't think of this as a symbolic vote. We see this as a meaningful effort to encourage the Sri Lankan government to take credible steps…We fear the government of Sri Lanka might fail to take those credible steps,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Donahoe, as saying.

He admitted that it is difficult to forge the diplomatic consensus for the resolution taking into account that the abuses occurred three years ago and are not a part of an ongoing crisis.

The U.S. resolution will ask for Sri Lanka to set a timeframe for implementing the recommendations of its commission and calling on the country to allow an independent probe into war crimes.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is looking increasingly isolated in that effort with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicating that India is 'inclined' to back the resolution.

The US views the resolution as a way of warning Sri Lanka to not hide abuses during the final months of the war that according to the United Nations had killed 40,000 civilians.

Sri Lankan officials said the U.S. is meddling in its internal affairs in the wake of the country trying to forge reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil populations.

"We feel the U.S. is being intrusive. Nobody likes pressure being brought unnecessarily without giving us time and space for reconciliation," Rajapaksa’s spokesperson Bandula Jayasekara said.