Saturday, 25 February 2012 
The Sri Lankan delegation that has traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the UN Human Rights Council sessions is divided into two groups. Several ministers have also traveled to Geneva due to the possibility of a resolution being presented during the Council sessions against Sri Lanka.
External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has complained to a senior official at the Presidential Secretariat that the President’s Special Envoy, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has sidelined him and was not informing him of the work being carried out.
The clash between the two ministers has resulted in a split among the staff members in the Sri Lankan embassy and the Sri Lankan office in the UN in Geneva.
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative at the UN Office in Geneva, Thamara Kunanayagam is displeased Minister Peiris’ decision to bring Additional Secretary Kshenuka Seneviratne along with the government delegation. Seneviratne served as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative at the UN Office in Geneva before Kunanayagam assumed the office.
Aware of the conflict between Seneviratne and Kunanayagam, the President had asked Peiris not to include any female officials in the government delegation. An official from the Presidential Secretariat said that the President is also angry that Peiris had ignored his directive and included Seneviratne in the delegation to Geneva.
As soon as Seneviratne had arrived in Geneva, a mud slinging campaign against Kunanayagam had been launched with the help of a Minister Counselor called Jaufer at the Sri Lankan embassy. In this backdrop, Kunanayagam has started to work with Minister Samarasinghe ignoring Minister Peiris.
External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunaratne Amunugama had learnt that Seneviratane and Jaufer had been engaged in many corrupt activities together during the Seneviratne’s tenure in Geneva. Amunugama had informed the President of the details and it has been decided to recall Jaufer to Colombo after the UN Human Rights Council sessions and to send an official at the External Affairs Ministry Yoshitha Perera to Geneva.
However, an official from the Sri Lankan embassy in Geneva told us that Sri Lanka has been placed in a very demeaning position by Peiris’ actions.
He said that Peiris is disgruntled that he would not be given the chance to address the UN Human Rights Council sessions after he had prepared for it for weeks. Samarasinghe is to speak on behalf of Sri Lanka before the Council.
