Minister Peiris raps US Embassy’s unconventional news leads

by Manjula Fernando

External Affairs Minister Prof.G.L.Peiris had protested over the unconventional news leads the US embassy had been releasing to the media when he met the visiting US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Steven J.Rapp on Friday.

Referring to a photo caption featuring the US Ambassador Michele Sison and the visiting Envoy on the US Embassy twitter which claimed ‘civilian deaths due to Army shelling’, he had said this amounted to ‘the US Embassy accepting allegations without verification’, an authoritative source told the Sunday Observer.

Prof. Peiris had stressed that such action may indicate that the visit was part of a conspiracy to validate something untrue.

The Minister had also warned that the focus on Sri Lanka and the action (a third resolution) contemplated by the US are not commensurate with the issues at hand pointing out that the fundamental objective for such action is unclear.

He had also said that such action would also lead to polarisation of the communities in Sri Lanka.

The Minister met the Deputy Head of US Mission (DCM) earlier on Friday to seek a clarification on the twitter caption.

Prof. Peiris told the visiting envoy, the response received from DCM was unsatisfactory and goes beyond the basic rules of diplomacy.The Deputy had responded that by the twitter message, they wanted to convey the reports received from people in that area as credible and the need to be investigated. The DCM had also said that they wanted to send a message to the public owing to the many media reports critical of US and the protests against Rapp.

Rapp had inquired about the civilian death figures - 40,000 cited by the Darusman report and 140,000 by Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph and said Sri Lanka needs to address these allegations. When questioned about the verification of credibility, Rapp had said he was a prosecutor and believed what the people had said.

The minister had pointed out that for a prosecutor, provable evidence was needed and investigation of fact is basic for that and demanded that in this instance what investigation he has done to prove that the information provided to him is correct.

The source said the visit seems to have been based on pre-conceived notions and he seems to be seeking to justify the points that he wanted to prove. Minister Peiris also briefed the US envoy on the islandwide census to get a count on those affected due to terrorism and the Army Commission of Inquiry among others.