‘Will pursue own interest on Lanka resolution’

NAY PYI TAW: Walking a political tight rope over the issue ahead of the general elections, top government sources on Monday said India will pursue its own interest when it comes to voting on the United Nations Human Right’s council resolution on Sri Lanka this month.

A day ahead of the meeting between PM Manmohan and Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal grouping summit here — a move already slammed by the DMK— government sources said they would wait for the final text of the US-sponsored resolution to emerge before taking a call on the voting. But they pointed out India’s position that has been articulated earlier that the Lankan government has to do more on the issue of reconciliation. India’s Sri Lankan policy has been consistently guided by its own domestic compulsions. And, political expediency from Congress’s state unit and parties like DMK and AIDMK in Tamil Nadu demand India will have to vote against Sri Lanka.

“We will pursue our national interests”, official sources said replying to a question on the UNHRC resolution on the alleged war crimes against Sri Lanka that will be taken up the council’s meeting in Geneva later this month. Among the concerns to be weaved into the resolution is the shabby treatment of former combatants, attacks on religious minorities and curtailment of media freedom.