21 January 2010 02:22 am
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union, in separate statements, expressed concerns over the pre-election violence in Sri Lanka. Both the UN and the EU also called on Sri Lanka to ensure a free and fair election.
Mr. Ban called on all Sri Lankan parties and their supporters to refrain from violence, abide by the electoral laws and rules, and avoid provocative actions both during and after the election period, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
“The peaceful conduct of the first post-conflict national election is of the highest importance for long term peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka,” the Secretary-General stressed.
The European Union's foreign-policy director, Catherine Ashton, is 'deeply concerned' by political violence in Sri Lanka, a statement released in Brussels said.
Ashton is 'deeply concerned by mounting pre-electoral violence in Sri Lanka, which has already caused deaths and numerous injured,' the statement said.
'A peaceful environment is an essential prerequisite to free and fair elections,' and Ashton 'calls on all parties in Sri Lanka to actively contribute to a climate of serenity in which the people of Sri Lanka can choose their political leadership in free, fair and unbiased elections,' the EU statement said. (Daily Mirror online)