Expert panel will not infringe on Lanka's sovereignty - Ban

The panel of experts being set up by the United Nations as part of an accountability process following the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka will not infringe on the country's sovereignty, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday.

"The panel I am establishing will advise me on the standards, benchmarks and parameters, based on international experience, that must guide any accountability process. Now this panel will report to me directly and not to another body."

Ban said a recent letter on the subject he received from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) indicated "there is a misunderstanding on the nature and purpose" of the experts' panel.