Sri Lanka urged to "demonstrate its commitment to national reconciliation and accountability"

British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt has called upon Sri Lanka to "seize the opportunity" to demonstrate that the country is committed to reconciliation by making the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) public.

“Many hope this report will mark a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s recovery from conflict, and I call on the Government of Sri Lanka to seize this important opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to national reconciliation and accountability,” he said.

The report was handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa by the head of LLRC, CR de Silva, on Sunday.

'Prima facie evidence'

The United Kingdom said releasing the report as soon as possible is vital in demonstrating its commitment.

The president told the media that the report will be handed over to the parliament after studying it   President's spokesman, Bandula Jayasekara

President Rajapaksa’s spokesman, Bandula Jayasekara, told BBC Sandeshaya on Sunday that the president will take the necessary action after studying the report.

“The president told the media that the report will be handed over to the parliament after studying it,” he said.

The LLRC appointed by the president in May 2010 has received 1000 oral testimonies since it began sessions in August.

More than 5000 written statements were also handed over to the panel.

LLRC spokesman Lakshman Wickremasinghe earlier told BBC Sandeshaya that the commission has forwarded some selected cases to the police “with good intentions” on what he called “prima facie” evidence.