A crucial report on Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes, which was to be released on September 21, by the US Department of State, has been deferred owing to the non-finalisation of the document and is now likely to be released next month, it is learnt.

Meanwhile US Embassy Spokesman in Colombo Jeff Anderson told The Sunday Leader that the State Department was still working on the document and the US Congress has extended the submission date.

He however noted that no particular date has been decided to release the report, “but the State Department expects it would be ready by mid October,” Anderson said.

Stephen Rapp, US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, in an interview with Time magazine mid this month disclosed that his office was primarily focusing on Sri Lanka and a report from the Department of State on the war in Sri Lanka was due in Congress on September 21.

“The Office of War Crimes Issues, together with the Secretary for Global Affairs and the Secretary of State, has the responsibility to collect information on ongoing atrocities, and it is then the responsibility of the President (Barack Obama) to determine what steps might be taken towards justice. Like the canary in the coal mine, we give the signal that something very serious is occurring,” Rapp said.

Meanwhile, as Sri Lanka continues to be hounded by the international community over alleged war crimes, President Mahinda Rajapakse has vowed to take on full responsibility and go before any judiciary if the need for such a situation arose in order to protect his troops.

At a meeting held at Temple Trees last week, he declared that the military had nothing to worry about the allegations made by the international community that the country’s military had committed war crimes as he will never let the sacrifices made by the country go in vain over such accusations.

The President was addressing state bank officials and representatives from the Galle District.

“Freedom won by sacrificing 26,000 youth lives will never be betrayed to anybody,” he said.

As the Commander-In-Chief, the President noted he would take full responsibility.

“Soldiers fought bravely by taking orders from me and I would go to any judiciary on behalf of them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajapakse this year stayed away from attending the United Nations General Assembly and delegated Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to lead Sri Lanka’s delegation, which included Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Opposition parties have alleged that the President has shied away from attending the General Assembly in New York because he cannot face the international community who have been accusing Sri Lanka of committing war crimes against mainly Tamil civilians and have so far refused to carry out any independent investigation on these allegations.

-Sundayleader-