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Foreign Affairs Committee calls for CHOGM boycott from Britain

A British Foreign Affairs Committee report has criticised the Commonwealth’s decision to hold the next Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka, and called on the British Prime Minister to boycott the meeting unless there were advances in human and political rights.

The report, entitled “The role and future of the Commonwealth”, is due to be released on Thursday the 15th of November, but embargoed copies were made available earlier on Tuesday.

The report states that the British Prime Minister David Cameron should refuse to attend the meeting, due to be held in Colombo, unless, he receives

“convincing and independently-verified evidence of substantial and sustainable improvements in human and political rights in Sri Lanka”.

The committee also criticised the Commonwealth adding that the organisation had "too often been undermined by the repressive actions of member governments”.

The Foreign Affairs Committee consists of eleven Members of Parliament from the three largest political parties and monitors the policy of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

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