“The United States attaches great importance to the dialogue that is now taking place between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

“The Government [says it] is committed to a sincere dialogue with the TNA. But the proof will be in results, not in promises.

“It is the failure on the part of successive governments of the Sri Lankan State to deliver on such a political solution that has been the primary cause for the exacerbation of the conflict and the consequences thereof.

“[Instead] The Sri Lankan State has over the years, systematically and continuously unleashed violence against unarmed Tamil civilians in order to suppress and subjugate them and to deny and deprive them of the realization of any legitimate power-sharing.

A convention is being organized on May 10 in New Delhi, to discuss the recently release UN Report on War Crimes in Sri Lanka and its implications.

Prominent activists speaking at the convention include Prof Jagmohan Singh, Arundhati Roy, Justice Rajinder Sachar (former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court), and Prof SAR Geelani (Delhi University).

Leaders from Indian political parties, including D. Raja of the CPI, are also taking part.

The convention is to be held atKrishna Menon bhavan (opposite the Supreme court) from 2.30 to 7.30. The UN report will be released and video footage of war crimes in Sri Lanka will be screened.

As part of its ongoing efforts to rebuild the war-torn Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, India is to fund development of Kankasanthurai (KKS) harbour, the largest port in the Jaffna peninsula.

When its ready, the revamped port will make possible the easy transportation of goods and people between the island's north and nearby Tamil Nadu ports.

The Indian government will fund development of KKS in two stages, including repairs to the present breakwater and jetty, and the deepening of the harbour, as well as the building of a new breakwater.

"The Chinese side is confident that the Sri Lankan government and people are able to properly address all relevant issues."

"We hope that the international community could help develop a favorable external environment for the Sri Lankan government to stabilize the country's internal situation and accelerate economic growth, and avoid taking measures that could further complicate the issue."

"The role of India and the US is probably going to determine whether the pressure mounts on Sri Lanka or the [UN expert panel's] report is quickly forgotten. If one takes a cue from developments over recent years, Colombo’s successful prosecution of the war would not have been possible without both overt support and sins of omission and commission by both New Delhi and Washington."

Click here to listen to comments to Radio Australia by James Ross, Legal and Policy Director at Human Rights Watch, on the UN expert panel's report on Sri Lanka’s war crimes.

In particular, Ross cautions against the narrow reading in the press of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s statement on needing a mandate to initiate a Commission of Inquiry into Sri Lanka’s crimes.

“The government [of India] has seen the report of the panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary General …. The issues raised in the report need to be studied carefully. As a first step, we intend to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on the issues contained in the report."

These are UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s comments on the expert panel’s report on Sri Lanka’s war crimes (see statement here):

“The way this conflict was conducted, under the guise of fighting terrorism, challenged the very foundations of the rules of war and cost the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.

"By requesting a report from a panel of experts and making it public, [UN Secretary General] Ban Ki-moon has taken a crucial step towards justice for the thousands of civilians who suffered abuses by the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers during the war.

"Ban should now follow the panel's advice and set up an independent international mechanism that will investigate alleged violations. It should name names and lay the groundwork for international prosecutions."