The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Baroness Warsi, during parliamentary debates on Friday, outlined her discontent at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group’s negation of Sri Lanka from its activities.
Baroness Warsi asked the government whether it intended to call on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to formally place Sri Lanka on its agenda.
Expressing British disappointment with the CMAG, Warsi said,
“The UK discussed the human rights situation in Sri Lanka with all Commonwealth counterparts attending the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York on 26 September.”
“The UK is not a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). We have been disappointed that the CMAG has not addressed Sri Lanka more substantively in their recent meetings. We have made clear to CMAG members that we consider it is of paramount importance that the Commonwealth addresses publicly areas of concern, especially when the Commonwealth members are failing to meet domestic, as well as international agreements.