Lankan envoy in Germany denies false reports

GERMANY: Sri Lanka's ambassador to Germany Jayantha Palipane has denied a story carried by certain Sri Lankan websites and newspapers which allege his involvement in a LTTE seminar in Bad Broll, Germany.

Ambassador Palipane says: "I have not accepted an invitation to attend this seminar in Bad Broll or to chair it.

The reference to me in the story carried by Lanka Truth on October 23 is not true. The organiser of this seminar has used my name in a leaflet without my acceptance or confirmation of participation and inserted the German word "angefragt" which means "asked for" in German.

There is no question of my being lured into anything. I had informed an organiser of my non-participation some time back."

The three-day seminar, beginning on October 27, is called 'The Peace Process in Sri Lanka'.

Held just before peace talks in Geneva it is seen as a means of pressuring the government and as a stepping stone to create a positive image of the LTTE throughout Germany.

In spite of Sri Lankan Ambassador's reply, the organiser has printed brochures and publicity material deliberately creating the false impression that the ambassador to Sri Lanka in Germany is participating in the seminar and giving the welcome speech.

According to well informed sources from Stuttgart, Germany the false story carried by the websites has given undue publicity to a non-event which is staged every year by a group to please its donors.