President: Sri Lanka ready to address human rights concerns

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday said he is ready to address allegations of human rights abuses which have reportedly taken place during the war. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Commonwealth summit involving heads of state and representatives from Commonwealth countries, Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka will uphold the Commonwealth values as the chair of the Commonwealth for the next two years. The Sri Lankan government has been accused of violating human rights and humanitarian laws during the final stages of the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels before the rebels were eventually defeated in May 2009. Rajapaksa however said his government has nothing to hide and it will take action on anyone violating human rights in Sri Lanka. "If there are any violations we will take action against anyone. We are open. We have nothing to hide. We have a system in the country," he said. The president said he is also willing to listen to those who have concerns but at the same time those people must be ready to listen to the government. "I have already invited them to come to Sri Lanka, to have a dialogue with us. We are ready to listen to them but they must also listen to us. What is actually happening in Sri Lanka they must come and see themselves," he said. The president stressed that Sri Lanka suffered from war for 30 years and is now enjoying peace and he will not allow anyone to divide the country anymore.