In Sri
Lanka, Is UN
Feltman
Conveying A
Weakening Call
for Justice?
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
1 -- Nine days
after the UN
Human Rights
Council under
Joachim Rucker
granted HCHR
Zeid's request
to withhold
the already
delayed report
on war crimes
in Sri Lanka,
the UN on
February 26
added Jaffna
as a stop to
the Sri Lanka
visit by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
highest
political
official
Jeffrey
Feltman.
That came two
days after
Inner City
Press asked if
Feltman would
go to Jaffna,
site of
protests of
the delay, and
was told
"Colombo
only."
But what is
being
accomplished
or even just
said there?
With the UN
yet to send
out any of the
promised
read-outs,
even as it
sends them out
about other
countries, this
has been
reported:
“The
Under
Secretary
General for
Political
Affairs of the
UN Jeffrey
Feltman who
arrived in the
island today
on a 4 day
official visit
met
with President
Maithripala
Sirisena and
Acting Foreign
Minister Ajith
P Perera.
Following the
discussions
Acting Foreign
Minister Ajith
P
Perera
expressed
these views
during which
he said the
calls for an
international
inquiry
against Sri
Lanka are
weakening.”
Inner City
Press has
directly asked
for the UN's
response to
this last, but
so far,
nothing.
On Friday,
February 27,
Inner City
Press asked
UN Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press: on
this trip by
Mr. Feltman to
Sri Lanka, I
wanted to
know:
can you
confirm he's
meeting with
the Tamil
National
Alliance…
that's
tomorrow?
And will there
be any
readouts?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
We talked to
our colleagues
in DPA
[Department of
Political
Affairs] to
make sure we
can get some
readouts
e-mailed over
the weekend as
they happen.
But more than
24 hours
later, after
Feltman's
meeting with
the TNA, there
was no
read-out.
Meanwhile it
was reported
under the
headline "UN
clarifies the
delay" that
"the UN Under
Secretary
General for
Political
Affairs,
Jeffrey
Feltman, told
the TNA that
the release of
the UN High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Inquiry
on Sri Lanka
(OISL) report
on alleged war
crimes in the
Island was
postponed to
September this
year following
the assurance
given by the
new
Government,
that it would
conduct an
internal
investigation
under UN
supervision."
So since UN
DPA is
tweeting about
Feltman's
trip, Inner
City Press asked
in this same
medium,
"Press Q: So,
did government
promise an
'investigation
under UN
supervision'?"
So far, no
answer. The UN
is
UNresponsive -
click
here for that,
including
with regard to
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance -
but we'll stay
on it.
Rucker,
speaking in
Geneva, has
claimed that
this delay was
"very
rational" in a
"relatively
unique" case.
Are all forms
of impunity
and justice
delayed
"relatively
unique"?
On February
24, UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric said:
"Mr.
Feltman will
then travel to
Sri Lanka on
Saturday.
There, he
plans to meet
with senior
officials of
the Government
of Sri Lanka,
political
parties and
civil society
groups. This
will be his
first visit to
Sri Lanka, and
he looks
forward to
discussing
with Sri
Lankan leaders
various issues
of mutual
concern."
Inner City
Press
immediately
asked Ban
Ki-moon's
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
Feltman will
at least visit
Jaffna in the
north, site of
protests of UN
High
Commissioner
Prince Zeid's
recommendation
of the day:
Inner
City Press: I
want to ask in
advance
whether he’s
going to go
only to
Colombo or
Jaffna where
there were
pretty big
protests over
the weekend
against the
decision to
defer that
human rights
report.
I’m wondering
what’s the
relationship
between his
trip and that…
the process
supposedly in
six months to…
Spokesman
Dujarric:
My
understanding
is that he
will only go
to Colombo to
meet with
various
people.
We’ll get you,
as the
meetings
happen, we’ll
try to get you
readouts.
Now,
Jaffna has
been added.
But what will
the read-outs
be? We'll have
more on this
Back on
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
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.
On February
17, after High
Commissioner
Prince Zeid
recomended and
got for Sri
Lanka a six
month deferral
of action,
Ban's deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq,
asked of Shavendra
Silva by
IPS, said
"the
Secretary-General
is aware that
the new
administration
is planning to
set up a
domestic
accountability
mechanism and
will be
carefully
assessing
developments.
The
Secretary-General,
as you're
aware, met
with the
Minister of
External
Affairs of Sri
Lanka last
Friday, 13
February, and
stressed the
importance of
Sri Lanka to
show firm and
clear
commitment to
accountability,
reconciliation
and human
rights.
He also
encouraged the
Government to
engage
continuously
with the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights.
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 remains
committed to
support Sri
Lanka’s
efforts to
address the
postwar
agenda.
The
Secretary-General
is also aware
of reactions
from various
communities to
the decision
by the Human
Rights
Council, and
the
Secretary-General
will
positively
engage with
the new
Government and
support its
efforts."
This is
shameful all
around, in
light of talk
of
accountability.
Last 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.
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