By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 22 -- While Sri Lanka's government claims that the Panel of Experts report describing war crimes is "not a UN report," that is precisely what Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd called it Thursday night at the UN when Inner City Press asked him about the report.
Rudd had been scheduled to speak at 6 pm about the Commonwealth. Notably, there is a move to oust Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth in light of war crimes.
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Rudd had been scheduled to speak at 6 pm about the Commonwealth. Notably, there is a move to oust Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth in light of war crimes.
Full Story...
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SL at risk of being hauled before UN: Minister |
FRIDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2011By Sandun A. Jayasekera
Sri Lanka needs to counter the Darusman Report in a concerted and effective manner at an International level because the country is still at risk of being hauled before the United Nations General Assembly or the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said yesterday.
The minister, who was a member of the high-powered government delegation that represented Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, told a media conference the delegation was able to prevent the Darusman Report being included in the agenda or taken up for debate.
He said the sessions would end next Friday but there was the possibility of the Sri Lanka issue being taken up for debate at the General Assembly and at the next UNHRC session in March.
The minister said the delegation headed by Minister Mahinda Samarasingha was able to convince the 40 countries that took part in the sessions about the biased and prejudicial nature of the Darusman Report that had been prepared on third party and unconfirmed information.
“We convinced the member states that the Darusman Report was a document prepared for the use of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban has no right whatsoever to release it to UN member states. And it is a violation of the UN charter and contravenes the rights and privileges of Sri Lanka,” the minister said.
He said Sri Lanka was strongly backed by African, Asian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean countries and by the member states of the Non Aligned Movement.
Sri Lanka needs to counter the Darusman Report in a concerted and effective manner at an International level because the country is still at risk of being hauled before the United Nations General Assembly or the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said yesterday.
The minister, who was a member of the high-powered government delegation that represented Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, told a media conference the delegation was able to prevent the Darusman Report being included in the agenda or taken up for debate.
He said the sessions would end next Friday but there was the possibility of the Sri Lanka issue being taken up for debate at the General Assembly and at the next UNHRC session in March.
The minister said the delegation headed by Minister Mahinda Samarasingha was able to convince the 40 countries that took part in the sessions about the biased and prejudicial nature of the Darusman Report that had been prepared on third party and unconfirmed information.
“We convinced the member states that the Darusman Report was a document prepared for the use of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban has no right whatsoever to release it to UN member states. And it is a violation of the UN charter and contravenes the rights and privileges of Sri Lanka,” the minister said.
He said Sri Lanka was strongly backed by African, Asian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean countries and by the member states of the Non Aligned Movement.
