NAM strongly condemns UN Chief
Posted on March 12th, 2010
Nadira GUNATILLEKE -courtesy Daily News
The NAM has very strongly condemned the announced intention of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to advise on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka, said Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.
Speaking at a press conference at the Government Information Department yesterday, Samarasinghe said the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) has a membership of 124 countries. All NAM members are also members of the United Nations.
The UN has 194 member states. Minister Samarasinghe further said that nearly two thirds of both the NAM and UN supports Sri Lanka.
The Government is about to obtain a two thirds majority in Parliament. The Sri Lankan Government has already obtained two thirds majority in the United Nations and in the Non Aligned Movement, Samarasinghe said.
According to Minister Samarasinghe President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already decided to appoint a special committee to address accountability issues, to find out why and how the terrorism started to arise in Sri Lanka, future possibilities of raising terrorism etc. This committee will consider the period from 1975 when the former MP and Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah was murdered and will end at present (2010).
The mandate of the six member committee appointed by President Rajapaksa to probe incidents mentioned in the State Department Report has been extended till April. Although there is no legal base for the State Department Report, the President appointed the committee in order to ensure the transparency and accountability.
Minister Samarasinghe said that the main intention of the President and the Government is establishing reconciliation and development uniting all ethnicities in the country and walk towards a bright and prosperous future.
The Government has no intention whatsoever to walk back to the political and economical instability which affected Sri Lanka for 30 years.
The National Action Plan to protect Human Rights will be presented to Cabinet shortly and thereafter it will be forwarded to the EU and other relevant International bodies. The Government commenced to formulate this time bound National Action Plan (for five years) one and half years ago.
It is because the Government strongly believes the importance of protecting human rights. Sri Lanka does not need an imported solution’ for the ethnic conflict.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
It’s time that the NAM took over the functions of the UN which is just another mouthpiece of the Western colonial masters and handpicked trained slaves such as Navi Pillai.