Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
16 September 2015 Media Statement
NZ welcomes reconciliation moves in Sri Lanka
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the Sri Lankan Government’s announcement it will establish a Truth & Reconciliation Commission to help the country recover from its decades-long civil war.
“New Zealand welcomes the measures announced by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera at the UN Human
Rights Council in Geneva this week,” Mr McCully says.
“They constitute a significant step towards genuine reconciliation and political devolution for Sri Lankans, something
New Zealand has been encouraging.
“The policies announced, such as establishing an office to assist people who lost family members in the civil war and
negotiating a new Constitution that reflects Sri Lanka’s ethnic and religious diversity, demonstrate a serious and
constructive approach to resolving some of the most challenging issues facing the country.
“We expect these measures will help reconciliation and devolution, particularly among Tamil communities in the North and
East of the country," Mr McCully says.