The team from the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner’s Office due to visit the country on Friday will be free of restrictions, External Affairs Minister G.L Peries said today.

 “The team that is to visit will not be restricted in anyway, they will be allowed to travel anywhere they wish and engage with various parties. We will provide full visibility and transparency—there is no need to hide anything,” he said at a news conference.

He reiterated the fact that the team arriving in the island as a precursor to the visit of Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay was in no way related to the resolution adopted against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in March.

The Minister also claimed that there had been no “shift” in the government’s stance towards a visit by Ms. Pillay. (Dianne Silva)