Wisdom behind silence

The Sri Lankan mission in Geneva hosted India's new Permanent Representative to dinner on Tuesday in what appears to be a desperate attempt to convince New Delhi to at least abstain from voting when the draft resolution on Sri Lanka was taken up at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The new PR, Dilip Sinha, who was his country's additional secretary to the External Affairs Ministry until he took up his new posting, said at the dinner that India was unable to come to Sri Lanka's rescue because the matter had become an internal political issue in India, after a Sri Lankan minister went public that New Delhi would vote against the USsponsored resolution.

He was apparently referring to a state- ment made by Minister and Human Rights Special Envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe a few weeks ago.

So every time, someone says India's position changed Sri Lanka's fortunes at the council, Samarasinghe stands accused. However, when the remarks are made often, as the case has been, one wonders whether it is part of a vilification campaign against Samarasinghe.

It was no surprise that during the last days of the Geneva battle the seven ministers, two deputy ministers and two parliamentarians cum Presidential Advisors remained tightlipped. It was in contrast to the first leg of their Geneva mission during which they held daily media briefings at the Intercontinental Hotel.