Rehabilitating and reconstructing North:
UN assist Sri Lanka
Manjula FERNANDO
Defence Secretary meets UN envoy
**Envoy visits Vanni, meets President today
A special meeting between Defence Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and a special UN envoy was held at the Defence,
Public Security, Law and Order Ministry yesterday. The UN representative
comprised the UN Under Secretary General on Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, Resident Humanitarian
Coordinator Sri Lanka Neil Buhne, Special Assistant to Under Secretary
General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Shanya Harris, Desk Officer NY
Masaki Watabe and Head of Office Sri Lanka Zola Dowell.
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The UN is ready to assist in the rehabilitation and the
reconstruction of the North, visiting UN Under Secretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Sir John Holmes
said renewing its call to the LTTE to release the civilians suffering in
its fast shrinking territory.
Referring to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the North he
said: “We in the United Nations, are of course ready to take our part in
that, to work to make this a success, adding that it was a ‘huge job’
the Government had to fulfill.”
He said the UN would help Sri Lanka to enable the return of normal
life, normal democratic politics to this region.
Holmes who arrived in Colombo yesterday on a three day visit, invited
by the Government, participated in a joint press conference with the
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama at the Foreign Ministry. The duo
held a two hour meeting prior to the media briefing.
They discussed the issues of the IDPs, civilians trapped in the
uncleared areas, humanitarian assistance to these people and return of
normalcy to the North after the completion of the humanitarian
operation.
Holmes appreciated the Government’s efforts to successfully send in a
shipment of relief to the Vanni civilains yesterday and said the UN was
working with the Government to ensure a continued supply of humanitarian
assistance; food, clean water and medical supplies. The envoy said the
UN in particular and the International Community in general was very
concerned about the plight of the civilians trapped by the LTTE in their
territory.
He said they call upon the LTTE to abide by the humanitarian laws to
ensure no civilian casualties and not to barricade their cross over to
the safe territory.
He also called on the Government to ensure the safety of civilians in
the war zone. Asked if he was confident the LTTE would lay down arms
heeding the call of the international community, the UN envoy said it
was ‘difficult’ to place total confidence in the LTTE by its past record
but the UN was hoping the Tigers would somehow allow civilians to go to
cleared areas.
Minister Bogollagama said the Government has reached the final and
the most difficult phase of its battle to eliminate LTTE terrorism. The
battle against the LTTE, a ruthless terrorist organisation which
conscripts child combatants, had been very challenging since the
Government is committed to maintain a zero civilian casualty level.
He said the main concern of the Government at the moment was to
rescue some 70,000 odd Vanni civilians forcibly kept under LTTE grip in
the east coast of Mullaitivu.
Responding to questions Minister Bogollagama said there was no ‘media
ban’ in areas where IDP camps are located, on the contrary a media crew
will be allowed to accompany the UN envoy in his visit to Vaunia.
During his stay Holmes will hold talks with the President Mahinda
Rajapaksa and undertake a visit to Vaunia with Presidential Advisor
Basil Rajapaksa to inspect the IDP camps. |