US officials hold talks in Sri Lanka

Colombo, Jan 27 (IANS) A high-level delegation from the US State Department Sunday held talks with the Sri Lankan government and opposition members regarding post-war developments in the island nation.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vikram Singh and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman arrived in the island Saturday, Xinhua reported.

The delegation met a key Tamil minority political party and discussed issues concerning Tamils in the north and east of the country.

A Tamil National Alliance (TNA) official told Xinhua that issues including the resettlement of people displaced due to war and an upcoming session at the UN Human Rights Council where the Sri Lankan issue is expected to be raised were discussed.

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Moore is a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs since September 2010. He was previously the deputy chief of mission of the US embassy in Colombo 2006-2009.

Zimmerman is a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, responsible for South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and International Religious Freedom.

Singh is deputy assistant secretary of defense for south and southeast Asia within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.

The Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in 2009 after 30 years of war but still continues to face pressure over human rights allegations from several countries including the US. Colombo denies the allegations.