TNS Corner
Green Party of EU Condemns Slovakia’s Arms Agreement with Sri Lanka

Apr 16, 2008, 00:00

Brussels - The Greens Party in the European Parliament (EU) condemned an arms trade agreement between Slovakia and Sri Lanka and says Slovakia violates multiple provisions of the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.

"I am shocked to hear that Slovakia has signed an agreement to sell weapons to the government of Sri Lanka, a country which has been locked for 25 years in a civil war during which massive infringement of human rights, notably against civilians, has occurred," according to a Greens Rapporteur.

"It is very disconcerting that individual member countries continue to sign arms trade contracts without following the code, consulting other member states or reporting to the EP," said a Spanish MEP.

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Sri Lanka Security Forces bought 10,000 missiles from Slovakia. The EU said in last mid March that EU continues to harbour very serious concerns about continuing reports of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.  EU also regretted that the Independent International Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) has decided to terminate its work with the Presidential Commission of Inquiry because of concerns about Sri Lanka’s compliance with international standards and institutional lack of support for the work of the Commission.

Hong Kong-based-Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), London-Based Amnesty International (AI), The United States-Based the Human Rights Watch (HRW), UNHRC, and many other local and international rights groups in Sri Lanka cited, the rights abuses such as enforced mass abductions, mass disappearances, unlawful execution style summery killings, mass murders, tortures, rapes, destruction of personal, public and cultural properties, forceful displacements are the reasons for their call for UN monitoring mission.