Geneva - The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Wednesday a resolution which praised the government of Sri Lanka for its commitment to human rights, while condemning the Tamil Tiger rebels. The resolution, tabled by Sri Lanka itself and other nations, including Brazil, China, Cuba and Egypt, also allows the government to let aid agencies' have access to camps for the internally displaced "as may be appropriate."
The resolution passed the 47-member council with 29 votes in favour, 12 against and six countries abstained.
A bloc of Western nations, whose counter proposal was defeated, wanted "rapid and unhindered access" for humanitarian aid groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN agencies.
That bloc, which included European Union members, Canada, Argentina and Mexico, also called for the government to investigate alleged human rights violations during the fighting.
A group of 17 countries, most of whom opposed the adopted resolution, had called last week for the special session on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.
Over 250,000 people are internally displaced in Sri Lanka from the fighting between the rebels and the government, which recently ended.
Aid groups have only limited access to refugee camps and the ICRC said the displaced were being "interned."
Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, had called for an independent international investigation into the reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The mostly Western-bloc, who were accused by Sri Lanka of being colonialists, had included a clause in their rejected resolution mandating a mechanism, to include Pillay, which would keep track of human rights developments.
During the fighting, the government had been accused of denying aid agencies access and using heavy weaponry against areas with a dense civilian population.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were said to have prevented civilians from escaping the crossfire and that they were used as human shields.
The Cuban and Sri Lankan delegations to the UN in Geneva focused their arguments on issues of sovereignty and non-intervention in the domestic affairs of a country, while also saying the government was taking the appropriate steps to deal with the displaced and the Tamil minority.
According to the resolution, based on a commitment of Sri Lanka, the "bulk" of the displaced are to be resettled within six months, though no specifics were given.
Several Tamil diaspora groups who attended the session said they were disappointed by the council's decision.
At least 80,000 people were
