UN Chief’s move on Lanka rejected

President Mahinda Rajapaksa informed the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Friday the move to appoint an expert panel to advise him on Sri Lanka was ‘totally uncalled for and unwarranted.’

In a telephone conversation with the UN Chief the President has emphasized, in the backdrop where there is no such action against countries with continuing armed conflicts, involving major humanitarian catastrophes and mass scale civilian deaths, the UNSG’s action was unprecedented.

He has also stressed that ‘Sri Lanka looked forward to treatment as per the United Nations Charter that provides for equal treatment to all members of the UN, while respecting the principle of non-interference in the internal matters of states.’

The telephone conversation ensued a letter written by the UN Chief to the President on February 25.

President Rajapaksa has also pointed out that this action was totally unwarranted since Sri Lanka was in a process to work towards strengthening national reconciliation after concluding an armed conflict with the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world, nine months ago.

In this light “Implementation of such an intention would certainly be perceived as an interference with the current general election campaign,” he has stressed adding that the people of the North and the East who were not free to participate in such elections earlier were being given their franchise rights respecting the highest standards of democracy.

“The UNSG was told that the allegations about Sri Lanka were motivated by misrepresentations by apologists of the LTTE, and by some Non Governmental Organisations that were clearly working on agendas directed against Sri Lanka.”

“There are also sections of the western world being increasingly subjected to electoral pressure by the same apologists of the LTTE”

He has also briefed the Secretary General that as a further measure of reconciliation, he has appointed a special committee to study and report on the lessons from the conflict.

The discussions have also touched on the Panel of Eminent Persons working on human rights violations and other charges reported by the US state Department and the actions of UN special Rapporteur Phillip Alston on the much disputed Channel 4 video.