He was asked by several of his colleagues at his ministry yesterday (15) about his recent remark that the government would never bring down foreign judges, and the war crimes allegations will be investigated and resolved through a local mechanism.

Samaraweera responded to the ministers by noting that the government has agreed through 30/1 joint proposals of Geneva to obtain foreign expertise in various fields for the proposed mechanism.

It is nothing new to obtain foreign expertise, he noted.

He recalled that even ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa sought foreign expert assistance when the war crimes charges were first leveled against the country.

Therefore, it is imperative that the assistance of foreign experts is obtained to give some validity for the investigations internationally, said Samaraweera.

The presidential election manifesto too, makes it clear a local mechanism will be implemented, he noted.

There is not much international pressure to seek foreign assistance, for which there are both supportive and opposite ideas, said the minister.

Also, there are other options which could be considered, according to him.

But, all the stakeholders want a credible and trustworthy mechanism, he stressed.

He added that the return of civilian land in the north and focusing on the development of the north and the east could help minimize international pressure.