UN Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka:

Russia expresses concern

Says should have consulted SC or GA :

UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon as Chief Administrative Officer of the United Nations should have asked the Security Council (SC) or the General Assembly (GA) opinion before his decision to appoint a UN Panel of Experts to investigate war crimes during the period against the Tigers, the Russian Federation Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release yesterday.

The release: “Moscow has taken note of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to appoint a UN panel of experts to investigate war crimes during the period of the campaign against the Tamil Tigers. As follows from UN sources, this panel is not a fact finding or investigation mechanism, but is designed solely to advise him on accountability issues relating to alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law”

“In doing so, the UN Secretary-General as Chief Administrative Officer of the United Nations should apparently have asked the opinion of the Security Council or the General Assembly on this matter. But this has not happened. What also makes us cautious is the fact that this decision was taken without regard to the position of a sovereign State and a member of the UN-Sri Lanka.

“As is known, they in Sri Lanka have already begun their own investigation process at national level (the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation with a mandate to review all aspects of the conflict).

“As follows from the statement made on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka by the External Affairs Ministry of that country, and the statements of its Minister of Information, Sri Lanka “regards the appointment of the Sri Lanka Panel of Experts as unwarranted and unnecessary and contrary to the position of a UN member State.”

The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe who visited Sri Lanka a few days ago, as we understand, was aware of this position of Colombo.

“We believe that the primary responsibility for investigating the events that occurred in the past in Sri Lanka lies with its Government and that the newly appointed UN panel of experts, which, as follows from UN Secretariat statements, does not intend to visit Sri Lanka, will not take any steps that would complicate the investigation being conducted by the authorities of Colombo.”