Blake began his visit by hearing the grievances of a Tamil minority party about the failure of the government to find a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the majority Sinhalese country.

Blake also spoke with President Mahinda Rajapakse and is scheduled to meet civil society representatives, university students and political leaders during his five-day visit.

Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the assistant secretary of state discussed the problem of political detainees, resettlement of war refugees and the failure to reach a political settlement between ethnic groups.

Evidence of war crimes

The military defeated the separatist rebels in May 2009, but the government has yet to introduce proposals on local governance in the Tamil-dominated northern province. Talks with the TNA on the subject have collapsed.

The visit coincides with a UN Human Rights Council meeting that begins Monday in Geneva and is expected to discuss Colombo's failure to probe alleged war crimes.

The UN has said there is credible evidence of war crimes by both the authorities and the Tamil rebels.

Human rights organization Amnesty International in a report last week cited eyewitness testimony and information from aid workers suggesting that at least 10,000 civilians were killed in the final military offensive that crushed the rebels in May 2009.

Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (dpa, AFP)
Editor: Grahame Lucas