No visa request yet

24 July 2010 05:50 pm

The panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon to advice him on matters relating to Sri Lanka has so far not made any request for visas to visit the country, a top Sri Lankan diplomat in the US told Daily Mirror online.

The diplomat noted that the three member UN panel, led by a former Indonesian Attorney General and including members from the US and South Africa, has not even had formal discussions in New York since being named by the UN Chief.

However although the panel has not yet sought visas to visit Sri Lanka the government on a previous occasion asserted that visas will not be provided even if such a request is made by the UN.

UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon had said that the three member panel appointed by him on Sri Lanka has been set up to advise him with regard to taking forward the objectives of the joint statement of 23 May 2009 between Sri Lanka and the UN and is not an investigative body.

Chairman of the Panel, Marsuki Darusman had earlier told the BBC said that Sri Lanka’s decision to deny him and his two colleagues visas was “highly unfortunate” and a barrier to finding out the truth. (Daily Mirror online)