According to the Foreign Minister’s statement in Parliament on the 8th October, the US State Department has responded to his query by a letter addressed to him which contains the statement: "We have not received reports that sexual abuses were used as tools of war, as they clearly have in other conflict areas around the world. We hope that this clarification puts the issue in its proper context". We are unaware of the exact contents of the Foreign Minister’s letter, but the reply given by the State Department is funny. It is only a shameless attempt to sidestep the real issue.

Let us look at this reply closely. The last sentence suggests that what our Foreign Minister asked for from the State Department was to "put the issue in its proper context". Is that all what Sri Lanka actually wanted? We do not believe that Sri Lanka as an independent sovereign country did not have the courage to ask for a straightforward retraction of the patently unsubstantiated statement made by the Secretary of State to the Security Council of the United Nations. Since it amounted to misleading the members of this august body, the good lady should not only retract this statement but should promptly tender her apologies to both the Security Council and to Sri Lanka. "Putting the issue in its proper context" cannot be accepted as a substitute for a retraction. Please let us have an adequate and proper response. This one only adds insult to injury.

What is the "proper context" the author of this pathetic statement is talking about? Is it an assertion that the use of rape as an instrument of war is normal behaviour in conflict areas? If that is the case, why did Mrs Clinton select certain conflict countries and leave out others. Among those left out are of course, Iraq and Afghanistan-the major hot-spots in the present day world, where the invading armies of her own country have been reportedly accused frequently of rape and torture. We cannot rule out the possibility that these were used indirectly as instruments of war. In all probability these were. Therefore, it may be necessary to remind those who make accusations against Sri Lanka that there is a well known and good Christian principle that those who try to accuse and demand punishment to others, must come before the judges with their own hands clean.