On Sri
Lanka, UN Ban
& Taranco
Meet
Samaraweera,
Kohona,
Readout
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 13 --
After Sri
Lanka's new
government
spoke of doing
another local
investigation
into war
crimes in
2009, and
asking for a
suspension of
the UN Human
Rights Council
process, Inner
City Press on
February 13
went to
Foreign
Minister
Mangala
Samaraweera's
meeting
with UN
Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon.
No other media
at the UN
attended; only
the UN's own
in-house UN
Photo and UN
TV. But
accompanying
Mangala
Samaraweera
were outgoing
Ambassador
Palitha Kohona
and others. Video here.
Ban Ki-moon,
before Inner
City Press was
whisked out of
the meeting,
told Mangala
Samaraweera he
had met him
after the tsunami
- that is,
when Ban was a
South Korean
diplomat.
When, two
hours later,
Ban's office
put a
read-out, the
issue of Sri
Lanka's
request to
defer the
Human Rights
Council report
was not
mentioned.
The full text:
"The
Secretary-General
met with the
Minister of
External
Affairs of Sri
Lanka, H.E.
Mr. Mangala
Samaraweera,
and discussed
cooperation
between the UN
and the new
Government of
Sri Lanka.
"The
Secretary-General
expressed his
support and
encouragement
to the new
Government in
its important
efforts in the
first 100
days. The
Minister of
External
Affairs and
the
Secretary-General
addressed
critical
priorities for
Sri Lanka,
including
especially
human rights,
accountability
and
reconciliation.
In regard to
the latter,
the
Secretary-General
noted the UN’s
peacebuilding
programmes and
affirmed
continuous
support of the
Organization
to Sri Lanka
and its
people."
This UN is
UNtransparent
- the US at
least
acknowledged
that the issue
came up in
Mangala
Samaraweera's
meeting with
John Kerry,
and passed the
buck to UN
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Prince
Zeid.
Earlier in the
week, the UN's
Oscar
Fernandez
Taranco met
the US State
Department's
Nisha Biswal.
Inner City
Press asked if
it was about
Bangladesh, and
was told, "in
part." Taranco
was at Ban's
meeting with
Samaraweera,
here. So was
Sri Lanka and
the deferral
request the
other part?
Watch this
site.
Back
on February 12
Inner City
Press asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman for
the UN's
position. Video here.
First, Inner
City Press asked whether
Sri Lanka's
Palitha Kohona
is leaving the
UN:
Inner
City Press:
yesterday, he
met with
Ambassador
Kohona of Sri
Lanka. I
couldn't tell
if that was a
farewell call
or not.
Spokesman
Dujarric:
It was indeed
a farewell
call.
Inner City
Press:
And did the
issue of not
pursuing the
Human Rights
Council
investigation
into Sri Lanka
arise?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
It was,
indeed, a
farewell
call. I
mean, the
Secretary-General's
position on
the, on the
human rights
investigation
is
unchanged.
He's obviously
aware that the
new
administration
is considering
setting
domestic
accountability
mechanisms and
will be
carefully
assessing
these
developments.
The
Secretary-General
has stressed
the importance
of Sri Lanka
establishing
credible
mechanisms
that meet
international
standards.
Advancing
accountability,
like other
parts of the
post-war
agenda in Sri
Lanka, will
lay the basis
for the
country to
make further
progress on
peace,
democracy and
development.
The UN stands
ready, as
always, to
support Sri
Lanka's
efforts to
address the
post-war
agenda as we
have
consistently
affirmed.
It's a
question that
when
raised, here,
to the US
State
Department
went so far
unanswered.
New foreign
minister
Mangala
Samaraweera is
set to meet
with Ban on
February 13.
Watch this
site.
Back on
January 12 the
UN said that
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon made
this call:
"The
Secretary-General
congratulated
President
Sirisena’s
election and
the successful
conclusion of
the
presidential
election. The
Secretary-General
and President
Sirisena
discussed the
President’s
100-day plan
and Sri
Lanka’s
post-war
agenda. The
Secretary-General
affirmed
continuous
support by the
UN to Sri
Lanka."
That is, the
UN's read-out
of Ban's call
had no mention
of
accountability
or of the UN
Human Rights
Council
inquiry into
the bloodbath
on the beach
in 2009. We'll
have more on
this.
After
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
conceded
defeat but
before 10:30
pm on January
8 in
Washington, US
Secretary of
State issued a
statement,
below.
Inner City
Press
published it,
and asked the
UN for its
comment. Told
to expect one
in the AM, New
York time,
Inner City
Press noted,
the earlier
the better.
Twelve hours
later, there
was nothing.
So Inner City
Press asked
again at the
noon briefing
on January 9,
after new
President
Sirisena's
inauguration.
UN Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq
said the UN
welcomes the
transfer of
power, then
later in the
briefing read
out this
statement:
"The
Secretary-General
congratulates
the people of
Sri Lanka on
the successful
conclusion of
the
presidential
election, and
welcomes the
constitutional
transfer of
power.
"The
Secretary-General
applauds the
Sri Lankan
Elections
Commission for
its
professionalism
in ensuring a
peaceful and
credible
election. He
also commends
the efforts of
the
candidates,
including in
particular
outgoing
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa, law
enforcement
agencies and
civil society
for upholding
and respecting
democratic
governance.
"The
Secretary-General
looks forward
to working
with President
Maithripala
Sirisena and
the people of
Sri Lanka. He
affirms the
continuous
support of the
United Nations
for
development,
reconciliation,
political
dialogue and
accountability
in Sri Lanka."
Inner City
Press
immediately
asked Haq if
what this
reference to
accountability
portends for
the UN inquiry
into the
events in
2009. We'll
have more on
this.
Amnesty
International
has said that
"Sri Lanka has
for years
resisted all
international
efforts to
investigate
the conflict
years, and
instead relied
on domestic
investigation
bodies that
toed the
government
line. This has
to end – the
new government
should
cooperate
fully with the
UN
investigation.”
Watch this
site.
In other
possible
routes to
accountability,
talk of
seeking
justice in US
courts as to
several joint
American
citizens in
Team Rajapaksa
- or on the
team during
the 2009
"Bloodbath on
the Beach" --
has picked up.
Some team
members have
reportedly
already left
the country:
we'll have
more on this.
, 
