UNHRC Chief Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad said that the findings of the UNHRC report on Sri Lanka "are of the most serious nature."

Addressing the inaugural session of the 30th UNHRC Session, Prince Zeid welcomed the commitments made by the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena.

However, he insisted that an accountability process that provides results must be ensured.

The UNHRC Chief also said that the committee report on Sri Lanka will be released on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will address the session in a short while.

Prince Zeid statement said the following on Sri Lanka:

"Six years ago, we were confronted with serious violations and loss of civilian life in the last months of Sri Lanka's long civil war. This Council has been deeply engaged with the need for accountability, as a necessary step for reconciliation in that country. On Wednesday I will release the report of the comprehensive investigation that OHCHR was mandated to conduct in March 2014, including my recommendations. Its findings are of the most serious nature. I welcom the vision shown by President Sirisena since his election in January 2015, and the commitments made by the new Government under his leadership. But this Council owes it to Sri Lankans - and to its own credibility - to ensure an accountability process that produces results, decisively moves beyond the failures of the past, and brings the deep institutional changes needed to guarantee non-recurrence".