UN continues to examine own work during conflict in Sri Lanka

The United Nations says that it is examining its own work in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the war between the Tamil Tiger terrorists and the government forces.


In response to media queries at the press briefing on Wednesday on the accountability of Sri Lanka, Martin Nesirky, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations, as part of the accountability effort, continues to examine how it will review its own work in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the conflict.

"The Panel of Experts made a number of recommendations and one of them was indeed for the United Nations to look inwards at how it had responded at the time and to learn lessons from that. That process is in train," Nesirky said adding that the issue is being discussed and "put in place between the relevant parts of the UN system."

Responding to a question on the Britain's Channel 4 television documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" the spokesperson said the UN Chief's advisers have seen the documentary but not sure whether the Mr. Ban himself has seen it.

The report of the Panel of Experts appointed by the Secretary-General to investigate accountability issues during the later stages of the Sri Lanka's war said there was credible evidence of war crimes committed and recommended the Secretary-General to "immediately proceed to establish an independent international mechanism" that is mandated by several functions defined by the Panel.

The Sri Lankan government has rejected the report saying that it is fundamentally flawed and based on biased material that is presented without any verification.