U.N. to debate Sri Lanka resolution

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 20 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka says it will fight a proposed U.N. resolution calling on the government to address the deaths of as many as 40,000 civilians during its civil war.

The New York Times says Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is rallying leaders in Asia, Africa and Latin America to fight the resolution put forward by the United States. A delegation of more than 70 people was sent to Geneva, Switzerland, where a debate on the resolution is scheduled Thursday.

Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Gamini Peiris, says the resolution is "strikingly divisive and polarizing."

Human rights groups accuse the Tamil Tiger rebel group and the Sri Lankan government of serious abuses during their 25-year conflict. Tens of thousands of people were killed in 2009 when government forces defeated Tamil rebels.

A U.N. report last year said Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan forces "failed to respect the norm of international law."