China and Russia expressed their support to Sri Lanka during the general debate of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday.

During the opening of its seventeenth regular session the HRC heard the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navi Pillay's call for establishing an internal mechanism to monitor Sri Lanka's national investigations into the alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

Responding to Ms. Pillay's call Xia Jingge, of China said it believed that the Sri Lankan Government and its people had the ability to deal with their internal affairs and the international community must support the government in its efforts to reconcile the country and should provide helpful assistance in this regard.

The representative said the group of advisors sent by the UN Secretary-General was to advise the Secretary-General only and asked the Human Rights Council to adopt a prudent approach to the country.

Representative from Russian Federation, Konstantin Dolgov welcomed the steps taken by the Sri Lankan government to address the allegations.

Dolgov said the Russian Federation believes that the approach to this issue must be independent and impartial, as experience showed that all parties to a conflict committed violations.

Zamir Akram, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to UN in Geneva speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said the Organization of the Islamic Conference was of the opinion that the report concerning the events of Sri Lanka was an internal document of the Secretary-General, included information never verified, and that the ongoing efforts in Sri Lanka for peace and reconciliation should be supported by the international community.

Pakistani diplomat Mariam Aftab highlighting the HRC11/1 report on official development assistance to help Sri Lanka fight poverty noted that the international community owed it to Sri Lanka to assist it and to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism.