"The climate of impunity that may have been created, lack of support that may be given, really need to be discussed."

US Assistant Secretary of State, Robert Blake, speaking at a news conference to mark the end of his three day visit to Sri Lanka, urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure accountability, stop paramilitary activity in the North-East and pursue devolution through talks with the TNA.

“We are not in the business of making threats to our friends.

There is a need for a credible process of accountability for those who have violated international humanitarian law and there will be pressure for some mechanism to ensure that this takes place.

However we hope that (such pressure) is not necessary.”

"The solution to achieving a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka is not just about accountability," he added, however.

Highlighting the recent mock protest orchestrated by Douglas Devananda's EPDP, Blake condemned the use of paramilitaries in the North to maintain law and order, insisting the government must make progress on disarming such groups.

“I am concerned about human rights.

I discussed with relevant officials the importance of disarming paramilitary groups, on which progress is being made.

It is important to deploy Tamil policeman in the north so the military no longer needs to perform these functions.”

 “Paramilitary groups are not allowed to carry weapons in public.

While I was in Jaffna I myself, experienced the power of the EPDP who was able to prevent me from meeting with some university students.”

Officials from the European Union and the United States have welcomed the informal discussions at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and called for a speedy process to bring accountability for crimes committed during the warin Sri Lanka.

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai used her speech at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council Session (HRC) to criticise Sri Lanka for its human rights record.

Whilst talking about the ‘insufficient regard for human rights’ by the anti-terror measures adopted by several member countries, she pointed out Sri Lanka as a prime example of a state which undermines human rights to combat terrorism.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent the UN panel of experts’ report on wartime mass killings in Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, the Associated Press reports.

The report (see here) concluded that tens of thousands of people were killed in the last five months of Sri Lanka's civil war, primarily by government troops.

See NDTV’s report from Vanni (broadcast Sep 10, 2011) which includes:

-  survivors' accounts of mass killings of Tamil civilians during the final months of the conflict,

-  victims accounts of torture, rape and persecution by Sri Lanka’s military after the war’s end,

“When a UN Panel of Experts report concludes up to 40,000 civilians died amid war crimes, the Human Rights Council should feel compelled to act.

The United States and other governments must move without further delay toward an independent international investigation into mass atrocities during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, and desist from lending credibility to Sri Lanka’s sham domestic investigation, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) said in a statement Monday.