Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has expressed his government's frustration at the repeated calls by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for an international probe on Sri Lanka's conduct during the final battle.
"We think that this course of action is unfair. It is even oppressive. It is as though some people will not rest until they are successful in harassing Sri Lanka," Prof' Peiris has told the BBC.
Delivering the opening statement at the 14th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday, Pillay expressed doubts in the outcome of the recently established Commission on Lessons Learned and Reconciliation by the Sri Lankan government to probe the accountability issues during the war and called again for an international probe.
"However, based on previous experience and new information, I remain convinced that such objectives would be better served by establishing an independent international accountability mechanism that would enjoy public confidence, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere," she said.
Prof' Peiris has told the BBC that Ms. Pillay's actions are not called for when the Commission is set to get underway on its mission.
"We think any foreign intervention is not only unwarranted but will be a source of hindrance, a detriment to the work of the commission as it gets under way," he told the BBC.
President Rajapaksa recently appointed the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation to examine key aspects of the conflict in Sri Lanka that ended a year ago.
The United States has expressed its support for the creation of the President's reconciliation commission and urged Sri Lanka to make the findings public.
During a press briefing on May 28 with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris urged the United Nations to give Sri Lanka space to allow the commission to begin its work without impediment or without hindrance.
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