The Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith yesterday warned the Government that foreign intervention would be inevitable unless serious allegations of rights abuses and the work of reconciliation is addressed within the country.

Archbishop Dr. Malcom Cardinal Ranjith

Issuing a pastoral letter yesterday, the Cardinal urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Tamil National Alliance to work towards finding a long term political solution to the ethnic conflict.

“Foreigners should not tell us what to do. We are not a pack of fools. But if we do not resolve these issues, then we open ourselves to foreign intervention,” the Cardinal said.

In his pastoral letter, the Cardinal warned that an international inquiry into war crimes could pose a serious threat to the country’s sovereignty.

In its 24-page letter, the church also asked the government to ensure accountability for politically-motivated killings going back four decades.