Sri Lanka President meets UN Secretary-General

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning met with the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on the sidelines of the 65th session of the General Assembly.

President Rajapaksa and the UN Chief are expected to discuss the progress of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by the President to investigate the events during the war and the progress of the resettlement of the internally displaced in the North and their rehabilitation among other matters.
Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona, parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge also participated in the discussion with the UN Chief and his delegation.
President Rajapaksa addressed the 65th session of the UN General Assembly yesterday and urged the attendees to reconsider the international humanitarian laws with regard to conflicts involving non-state actors such as the LTTE terrorist organization of Sri Lanka.
"The asymmetrical nature of conflicts initiated by non-state actors gives rise to serious problems which need to be considered in earnest by the international community," the President suggested.
The UN chief appointed his own advisory panel to probe Sri Lanka's accountability with regard to alleged violations of international humanitarian laws and human rights by the government forces during the later stages of the war against the rebels.
Sri Lanka vehemently opposed the appointment of the panel saying that it is unnecessary and unwarranted as the government has already set in motion a mechanism to probe the events took place during a seven-year period prior to the conclusion of the war.
The three-member Panel of Experts led by Indonesia's former Attorney General Marzuki Darusman commenced its work officially on September 16. It has four months since commencing work to submit a report on its findings to the UN Secretary-General.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)