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Experts to advise Ban on SL

6 March 2010 02:42 am - 24     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has informed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that he will name a panel of experts to advise him, the Secretary General, on the way forward on accountability issues related to Sri Lanka.

In a telephone conversation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa Thursday evening, Ban said he intended to "go ahead with the establishment of a panel of experts, to advise him, the Secretary General," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Nesirky included this information in a March 5 response to questions from Inner City Press, about war crimes, attempted nepotism and the UN's seeming failure to follow through on the statement that Lynn Pascoe, top UN political advisor, would visit Sri Lanka in February.

Pascoe is traveling next week to India and Nepal, but not nearby Sri Lanka. On the night of March 4, when Inner City Press asked French Ambassador to the UN, Gerard Araud why Ban has been so slow to act on Sri Lanka, Araud said this was due to pressure from member states.

Araud named India first, then China. He also said that France viewed the Rajapaksa administration's military offensive in Northern Sri Lanka as a “welcome” crushing of terrorism.

Following what even the UN called the “bloodbath on the beach,” Ban visited Sri Lanka in May 2009 and issued a statement about reconciliation with the Tamils and accountability for war crimes. But in the months that followed he took no action.

UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston publicly urged Ban to appoint an international panel to investigate presumptive war crimes in Sri Lanka. These include the urging of LTTE leaders to emerge with white flags, after which they were executed.

Ban's chief of staff, the Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, was a go between conveying the Rajapaksas’ message that emerging with a white flag held high would ensure safety.

On March 5, Inner City Press also asked Nesirky about reports in the Colombo press that Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama wrote to a senior UN official, identified as Nambiar, seeking a job for his own son with the UN Secretariat. Nesirky said “I'll find out.”

Just as Nesirky emphasized to Inner City Press that the panel will only advise Ban, and not Sri Lanka, it is important to note that what Ban is belatedly doing about 30,000 deaths in the first half of 2009 is less and later than what he did for 160 deaths in Guinea in September.

Friday at the UN many people asked Inner City Press why Ban was doing so little, so late, why he is “running scared,” as one put it. On Thursday night, France's Gerard Araud attributed Ban's reticence to pressure from India and China.

(Inner City Press)

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  Comments - 24

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  • Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:24 AM

    I don't understand the attitude of the majority of Sri Lankan people. The reason why there is no law and order in thius country is because the people let it happen.
    If anybody does something wrong then they have to be punished. We cannot say that rights were violated in Guatanamo Bay to justify the violation ofn rights in our country.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:56 AM

    MR will moot another RIVAL Group like UN, in the South East with the support of Pakistan, Myanmar, Iran, North Korea , Uganda, zambia, Libya etc, and will constitute a panel to investigate USA, US etc on their activities in Iraq, Afganistan under the leadership of Col. Gaddafi very soon.
    Moon also will be invstigated at the same time for his complicity.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:55 AM

    No one is above the law. But Sri Lankan President Mahind is the only person who thinks he is above the law. If Sri Lanka did war cirimes against its own minority (Tamils), they derserve punishment. Howerver now in Sri Lnaka no citizens only rulers they killed raped and do all the bad things to ther own citizens. All the rights lost and no democracy at all. Sri Lanka deserve UN embargo and war crime funishment. No markets for SL exports, no visa...

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:50 AM

    When LTTE massacres unarmed Buddhist Priests it is terrorist activity and no inquiry nothing. When a govt kills the same terrorist it a case for whole world to cry.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:43 AM

    Ban ki , We have not seen you for many moons. I am sure you are clean unlike the Westerners as Dr. Kumar says.People who are not clean should not throw water at other people.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:42 AM

    Thank you Sarath Fonseka. You are the No 1 witness against Sri Lanka.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:28 AM

    1 thing for sure....Ban Ki Moon is definitely no Kofi Anan. Infact moon seems like the most incompetent out of all the general secretaries to the UN

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:24 AM

    Please behave like a doctor.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 06:22 AM

    Mr.Moon,
    Did you appoint any panel to investigate what happening in Afganistan & Iraq? Are you affraid USA & UK because of them you are sit on your chair. why you are relaying on Tamil Diaspora's properganda.Are accepting Prabakan's terrorist activities happend in Sri Lanka? Look now whether Sinhalese, Tamil.Muslims or any other nationaltiea can live any part of Sri Lanka.
    Mr.Moon, my appeal is eveluate our country situation base on impartial way.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:43 AM

    It seems Mr. Ban will just keep buying time by making statements and forming panels and etc. By the time his term will be over. Sri Lanka will be let out of the noose. Sad... UN had become Useless Nations!

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:32 AM

    Ban, good move. our MR will appoint another panel to support your panel. :)

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:27 AM

    Dear anton,

    This is typical way of Sri Lankan thinking! If any one did wrong, it does not make our wrong doing correct. Every body knows what happened exactly in Puthumathalan! If you did the wright thing why you scared about UN

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 03:34 AM

    Ban Mr. Nambiar from entering your office, Mr. Ban. There is every indication of some degree of complicity!

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:23 AM

    Dear Mr. Ban Ki Moon,
    Please appoint a commission to FIRST to inquire into the atrocities committed by the rulers of US, UK, ISRAEL, INDIA , in places such as Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Balkans, South East Asia, Iraq, Afganistan, Palestine, Kashmir and in many other places and at last you can go to Sri Lanka. What sort of justice , fairness and rule of law you are applying in the international affairs. Do not be a puppet. Be decent, fair, and impartial in all your dealings.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 05:21 AM

    Ban,

    Please investigate the war crimes committed by US when they dropped a atomic bomb killing 100k + Japanese in WWII.

    Please investigate the war crimes committed by US when they killed innocent civilians dropping bombs over bagdad and afganistan.

    Please investigate the war crimes committed by UK when they killed innocent civilians in Basra, Iraq and ethically cleansing people in all of its commonwealth colonies during its rule.

    I suppose you cannot really attend to any of these because the ICJ is only there to prosecute war crimes and carry out investigations after 1991, which is exactly when the ICJ was formed, ICJ was specifically set up to prosecute the third world and not the first world nations of the west!

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:44 AM

    Very sorry Srilanka, no more chance, already convited.Every thing because of the foolishness of Srilankan authorities.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:40 AM

    Mr. Ban Ki Moon may be slow and so the other countries in taking action against Sri Lanka but God will be on time .So they don't have to worry to much . India and China who are opposing the UN will also be judged.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:20 AM

    Wow!!! it is good to hear, we have to wait and see how UN would do any good to SL people, whoever did war crimes should be punished

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:18 AM

    Mr. Ban. Ban your experts to advise our President. He has his own knowledge. Check his brain if you want.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:12 AM

    Let Nambiar and his brother be the panel of 'experts' to adivise the president, so that Nambiar's son could be his adviser.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:04 AM

    I am thankful for the government and the armed forces who game a chance to sleep peacefully. I think the persons who they talk as killed in the last days are the guys who brought us the terror. Terrorists must be dealt with in the most harsh way.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 04:04 AM

    1. Why don't you appoint a panel of experts to investigate guantanamo base?

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 03:56 AM

    We dont care if it comes form a Mr. Moon or a Mr. Sun., we dont care what a toothless UN says.. we will make another UN and will be with our friends like Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sudan and the communist China etc.,

    Very soon the westerners who never wash their back will have to suffer for long.

    Dr. Kumara K, Australia.

    Saturday, 06 March 2010 03:47 AM

    IT seems like the "water gate" of UN/Sinking lanka!!!!!


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