Government expresses concern on UNICEF Rep's visit to Kilinochchi

Philippe Duamelle, the Country Representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday to express concern over his recent visit to Kilinochchi and his meeting with LTTE leaders.

Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona emphasised that the UNICEF had not followed the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when diplomats and high ranking officials sought to visit the uncleared areas in the Northern Province.

These guidelines which have been issued to ensure the safety and security of the visiting officials, require them to obtain prior clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Secretary conveyed to the UNICEF Country Representative that non-compliance with these guidelines was unacceptable given the propensity of the LTTE to exploit such visits for propaganda purposes.

Duamelle who assumed duties as the Country Representative of UNICEF in Sri Lanka in September this year, stated that, unfortunately, he was not familiar with the Foreign Ministry's guidelines. But he said he had consulted the Ministry of Defence.

He had visited Kilinochchi to assess the effectiveness of ongoing programmes and meet with UNICEF staff. He claimed he had met the LTTE to impress on them the urgent need to release the child soldiers numbering 240 or more according to the complaints received by UNICEF. He regretted the unfavourable publicity that the visit had caused as his goal was to work with the Government of Sri Lanka.

In response to the allegation of UNICEF funds being transferred to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation, Duamelle stated that although there is no evidence of illegal transactions, UNICEF is presently carrying out a formal audit, the outcome of which will be shared with the Government of Sri Lanka.