No need for Expert Panel to go to Sri Lanka, UN says

"...there are modern methods of speaking to concerned officials without actually having to go to Sri Lanka." - Nesirky

The United Nation today affirmed that the Panel of Experts appointed by the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on accountability issues of Sri Lanka's alleged violations of human rights and humanitarian law is not a fact-finding mission and it is not essential for the panel to visit Sri Lanka.


Responding to a question from media on Sri Lanka External Affairs Minister's statement that the expert panel would not be granted visa to visit Sri Lanka, Martin Nesirky, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Thursday said the three-member Panel of Experts will be advising the UN Chief and it is not required for them to visit Sri Lanka but it is up to them to decide whether they intend to visit the country.

"It is not required. The panel of experts, the three experts, are going to advise the Secretary-General  this is not a fact-finding mission, this is not an investigation, it is not an inquiry, it is not a probe. It is a panel of experts to advise the Secretary-General. Visits to Sri Lanka are not essential  are not required for those experts to be able to do the job they've been asked to do for the Secretary-General. Should they decide that they do indeed need to go to Sri Lanka that would be for them to decide and we would tackle it at that point," Nesirky said.

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris Thursday (24) said the government would not allow the United Nations Panel of Experts to come to Sri Lanka.

The UN Spokesperson said since it is not a probe there is no speaking to witnesses as in an investigation. He said the Secretary-General has asked the panel to advise him on the implementation of the commitment on human rights accountability, and that under that mandate the panel hopes to cooperate with concerned officials in Sri Lanka.

However, there are modern methods of speaking to concerned officials without actually having to go to Sri Lanka, and there are other avenues as well, Nesirky pointed out to the media.

Sri Lankan government has vehemently opposed the appointment of the expert panel saying that it is as an unwarranted and unnecessary interference with a sovereign nation.

The government says the eight-member Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to investigate the events in the period between 21st February 2002 to 19th May 2009 and make recommendation to strengthen the reconciliation process.