The Tamil National Alliance has welcomed the passing of the US-sponsored resolution at the 19th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Full text follows:

"We believe that the Resolution will benefit all Sri Lankans, regardless of ethnicity. We sincerely hope that the Resolution and the clear collective will of the Council will encourage the government to face the future with fortitude and move decisively to protect human rights and take tangible action to advance genuine reconciliation,

Representatives from England’s Barmy Army, the unofficial supporters group of the English Cricket team, were livid at the controversial two-tier policy and began drawing up

Welcoming the UN resolution passed at the 19th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, the US Secretary of State, Hiliary Clinton said,

"The United States, together with the international community, sent a strong signal that Sri Lanka will only achieve lasting peace through real reconciliation and accountability,"

"And the international community stands ready to help,"

Extracts from the editorial Friday of The Hindu, which has hisotircally been a vocal supporter of President Rajapaksa’s regime and its predecessors:

“The wording of the resolution was tweaked by India to say the implementation assistance the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights will provide must be with Sri Lanka's 'concurrence'.

“Yet, Colombo must not misread this concession.

Comments by Juliette De Rivero, advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, on the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on Sri Lanka on Thursday:

“The Human Rights Council's vote demonstrates broad international dissatisfaction with Sri Lanka's accountability efforts in the three years since the end of the war.

Sri Lankan Minister Mervyn Silva has threatened human rights activists who attended the 19th UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva, where a resolution about Sri Lanka was adopted yesterday.

Speaking at a protest against the resolution on Friday, Silva singled out activists Sunila Abeysekara, Nimalka Fernando and Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu and journalists Sunanda Deshapriya and Poddala Jayantha for betraying Sri Lanka and threatened them with violence.

The US state department has eased restrictions on defence exports to Sri Lanka on Thursday, the same day as the passing of a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, AP reports.

Tensions between the countries are high, as Sri Lanka rejected the US-sponsored resolution and condemned the interference into what it says are internal matters.

The state department said that the move to lift some restrictions, namely the exports of equipment for aerial and maritime equipment, is unrelated to the resolution.