Govt opposes UNSG intent

Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in an exclusive interview with the Daily News, yesterday said the Government strongly opposes the intent of UN Secretary General to appoint an expert panel to advise him on Sri Lanka. The Minister said the UNSG has expressed his intent at a time when the country is facing an election. “It is unethical to make such a sensitive statement during an election time as some unscrupulous elements in the opposition are in the game of taking undue advantage,” he added. “I had a discussion with UN representative in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne who returned to the country after a series of discussions with his superiors in New York. Buhne told me that the UNSG’s intent was to inquire into the accountability issues only,” he said. He said the Government has not sought an inquiry into the accountability issues from the UN Secretary General through the joint statement issued by the UNSG and the President of Sri Lanka last year.   www.dailynews.lk/2010/03/24/news03.asp