Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the government would grant visas to the members of the Panel only to go before the government appointed LLRC and not to conduct any investigations on their own.
Rambukwella said that the government initially objected to the Panel's visit to Sri Lanka, as it was to conduct an inquiry. However, the government has decided to grant visas to the Panel since it has been stated that the members only wished to meet the LLRC.
Minister Rambukwella has said that the government welcomes anyone who wishes to give evidence at the LLRC including the Tamil Diaspora and acceptance or rejection of such evidence is a matter solely under the purview of the Commission.
However, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said last week that the Panel has a broader plan of work than just meeting the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) appointed by the Sri Lankan President.
Panel's agenda will become clear once they have finalized the arrangements, the UN Spokesman said.
The LLRC has said that it will hear the Panel's representations on the basis of the Commission's Warrant and the usual procedures followed for such hearings although the decision to allow the Panel to visit lies with the government.
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