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The President's Office has informed Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, that President Chandrika Kumaratunga would not be attending the 58th Sessions of the General Assembly or the Special UN Conference on AIDS.

Furthermore, the President has called for explanation from Charlie Mahendran, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations with regard to his unsatisfactory and unprofessional conduct in the matter, Presidential Media Spokesman Janadasa Peiris states in a release. Firstly a letter of invitation, dated 23rd July, 2003, from Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations to President Kumaratunga to attend the General Assembly was never, even to this date, forwarded to the President's Office.

A further invitation to the AIDS conference addressed to H.E. President Kumaratunga and dated 31st July, 2003, refers to the prior letter of 23rd July, which was never received. The letter of 31st July was only sent to the President's Office on 15th August, 2003. The invitation was responded to by 19th August, 2003 and there was absolutely no delay on the part of the President's Office.

Upon the President's acceptance of the official invitation for the AIDS Conference, both the Government and Mr. Charlie Mahendran were well aware that the General Assembly commenced right after the Conference and that President Kumaratunga as Head of State and Head of Government received priority over the Prime Minister as leader of the Parliamentary majority, the release states.

Moreover the first intimation the President had that the Prime Minister was intending to attend and speak at the UN General Assembly was through a news items in the papers. The unsatisfactory and unprofessional conduct of Charlie Mahendran in bypassing the President's Office and circumventing all norms of proper conduct and protocol, should not be permitted to reoccur, the release adds.

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