Sri Lankan delegation meets UN Human Rights Commissioner

A Sri Lankan government delegation now in Geneva led by External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris has met with the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Navaneetham Pillay yesterday and held discussions on the accountability issues raised by the UN Expert Panel report on Sri Lanka. Speaking to the media after the discussion a member of the delegation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that they could eliminate many misunderstandings High Commissioner had.
The Sri Lankan representatives could provide correct and effective answers to the questions posed by the Human Rights Commissioner, the Minister has said. The delegation has explained to Pillay that the Expert Panel report was based on evidence gathered from anonymous sources and the panel has given those sources immunity for 20 years. Prof. Peiris has said that he challenged Pillay on the evidence to the UN panel and questioned the credibility of the report. The Expert Panel report released in April 2011, said there are a number of allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed by both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka, some of which could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN Secretary-General sent the report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last September seeking a mandate from the HRC to launch an international probe into the allegations. The Minister said that the delegation apprising the High Commissioner of the prevailing situation in the country has made it clear that it is the people of Sri Lanka and not external forces that should approve any reconciliation process. The UNHRC is to take up a resolution against Sri Lankan at its 19th sessions scheduled to begin on Monday February 27.