POREG VIEW:According to the WikiLeaks, the United States has doubts whether Sri Lanka would thoroughly probe war crimes allegations involving President Mahinda Rajapakse and other top leaders.

One of the cables WikiLeaks released shows that US Ambassador Patricia Butenis in Colombo saw some progress in Sri Lanka in investigating alleged abuses during the final phase of the bloody ethnic war that had claimed several thousand lives and created a divide for nearly four decades. The United Nations has reported that at least 7,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed in the final months of fighting in 2009.

Yet, ambassador Butenis has doubts. Because, one of her cables in January says: ‘There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power’.

That she was not alone in entertaining and voicing such a doubt is a different thing. Many human rights groups and Tamil groups have been voicing concern over the guilty going unpunished for what they see as war crimes.  The buck for these crimes stops at the doors of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. Also for the reason, that he has made the victory his personal triumph. Gen Sarath Fonseka, as the ‘hand-picked’ army chief army of the day, has to bear the cross. But surprisingly, he appears to have ‘friends’ amongst the ethnic Tamils. Otherwise, he could not have garnered more votes more than Rajapaksa in the April Presidential election in the Tamil speaking Northern Sri Lanka.

Viewed against this backdrop, ambassador Butenis remark makes interesting reading. She said: ‘In Sri Lanka this (investigation into war crimes) is further complicated by the fact that responsibility for many of the alleged crimes rests with the country’s senior civilian and military leadership, including President (Rajapakse) and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka.’

Sri Lanka has been rejecting demands for probe into war crimes by the UN or any other independent agency. It has set up a Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation, but it has not inspired confidence.

United States has urged Sri Lanka to ensure accountability and to promote reconciliation, but has stopped short of supporting an international probe sought by activists. Another American enigma?