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Ranil fumes in Parliament over media and war crimes issue
28 Jan, 2016
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremessinghe today in Parliament slammed some media institutions on the manner they had reported the issue over the involvement of foreign judges in the?accountability process on the war.
He?insisted that the government?will not agree to an international war crimes tribunal on the Sri Lanka issue.
“We have not signed the Rome statute,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that he met President Maithripala Sirisena and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday and discussed the issue.
He said at the meeting it was agreed that the government?position on the investigation on the war is that it will be a domestic process which will be open to international assistance.
The Prime Minister said that even the former Government had obtained international assistance when investigating reports on those?missing.
Earlier the opposition said the government had different views on the matter with the President saying no to foreign judges and the Prime Minister saying international involvement has not been ruled out.
The Prime Minister however said today that foreign judges cannot get involved in the process unless they have the approval of the local Supreme Court and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
Wickremessinghe said that Sri Lanka will conduct the probe on the war within the framework of the Constitution.
He also slammed some private media institutions saying they are attempting to overthrow the government.
The Prime Minister also accused some media institutions of attempting to instigate communal disharmony. (Colombo Gazette)
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