mr president i support this resolution even though i think it is not critical enough of the sri lankan government
earlier this year we witnessed the appalling military assault on the area held by the tamil tigers without any regard for the lives or well-being of citizens who in my view are used as pawns by all sides resulting in ninety zero dead
the world stood horrified and helpless yet still today there are more than a quarter of a million sri lankan citizens who are interned without adequate medical facilities without clean water sanitation or living space
today's resolution is a relatively mild call on the sri lankan authorities to respect the rights of their citizens
it is my own view that if there is no measurable progress soon on the demands in this resolution then the european union must bring economic and political pressure to bear on the regime in sri lanka
sri lanka depends for its economic recovery on foreign direct investment and on eu economic support
we must use that leverage in the interests of the sri lankan peoples including the tamil people
