Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma on 19 December 2011 welcomed the Sri Lankan Government’s release of the Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
“We applaud the intent of transparency with which the Government of Sri Lanka has tabled the full report before Parliament and made it public, as well as the stated commitment of the government to respect the conclusions and recommendations of the report, which we are confident will see implementation in an objective, even-handed and forward-looking manner. We welcome the assurance given on the transparent and rigorous application of the law of the land.
“While noting that the Commission was established to examine lessons learnt from the conflict and to promote reconciliation, we trust that with the assurances given, the report will also serve to advance the cause of accountability, as genuine reconciliation and accountability go hand-in-hand.
“It is for the government and people of Sri Lanka to chart their country's way forward after the military defeat of the forces of terrorism. The Commonwealth, as a partner of Sri Lanka, which is a founder member of the modern Commonwealth, remains ready to assist the government in dealing with the challenges of building a harmonious and sustainable peace.”
