'Serious reservations' over UNSG's maintenance of standards

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Patriotic National Movement Secretary General Dr Wasantha Bandara yesterday said they have 'serious reservations' about standards maintained by UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon in regard to the United Nation's Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, after the Darusman Report.

Dr Bandara said they are eager to know whether UN upholds the elimination of LTTE terror mastermind Prabhakaran in accordance with their 'fight against terrorism" campaign, inasmuch as they did uphold the death of Al-qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, after the release of Darusman Report.

He said the Darusman Report on Sri Lanka is evidence to prove their contradictory position in handling terrorism.

"The Darusman Report is a full display of hypocrisy by the UN over Sri Lanka. The UN has utterly disregarded the suffering of a nation for over three decades under one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations in the world in that Report," he stressed.

"They say various things against the Sri Lankan security forces about the killing of Prabhakaran, he said. "Prabhakaran died in the battle front. US forces killed Osama bin Laden in a luxurious house where he was hiding, he pointed out.

"How can the elimination of Prabhakaran in battle become a matter of great concern inasmuch to question a government that is trying to raise its head after removing its bane of terrorism, he asked.

"Prabhakaran's LTTE killed thousands of innocent people as did Laden's Al-queda, he said and added, "both were internationally banned terrorist organizations deserving equal treatment under the UN's counter-terrorism campaign. He said there have been many instances where some western nations had shamelessly financed LTTE despite it being a banned terrorist organization.

"Was that because these terrorist leaders served these powers to achieve their sinister aims of destabilizing other countries," he asked.

"It will be interesting to note the attitude of UN Secretary General Moon over the LTTE and Al-qaeda, whether he upholds the elimination of terrorism as a whole or upholds some terrorist orgnisations against other terrorist organizations in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden, he said.