Dangerous results if entertained ;UNSG sole authority in such decision
Disna MUDALIGE
The Darusman Report prepared by the advisory panel to the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) cannot be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) since it is neither an official document by any means nor has it any kind of legitimate nexus to any UN organ, said External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris.
He was delivering the keynote address at the fourth annual symposium of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) at the university premises yesterday on the theme “Challenges of Post Conflict Sri Lanka”.
Minister Peiris said that considering the document or any part of it at the UNHRC will constitute unsound and dangerous results not only for Sri Lanka but also for the whole international community in general. He observed that the advisory panel straying completely out of its mandate had recommended to the UNSG that the report should be submitted to the UNHRC.
“That is not their business at all.
“It is upto the UNSG to decide on it. Neither the panel was asked to prepare a report suitable for publication. They were simply asked to submit a report purely to offer advices for the UNSG. Many features of the report indicate that it is a biased document and prepared for a political purpose,” he said.
He also noted that it is the rightly elected government and the population of a country that should be in the driving seat when taking crucial decisions pertaining to the country and external forces cannot intervene in this regard. “International groups which resort to such actions forget that there is a history and social structure which maintain cohesion and stability of that country. They cannot fix things instantly and move out. The law and order of that country and the conditions of the people can be worse then” he observed.
The Minister observed that a segment of the diaspora which is close to the LTTE is now attempting to launch an economic onslaught against the people of this country. He said that these groups, knowing that the terrorist has been vanquished, are now attempting to transmit their mission to the international arena.
He said these groups are determined to prevent the government of Sri Lanka from moving rapidly to bring prosperity and stability, in particular to the people in the North. “Only about 10,000 persons are to be resettled and the government has targets completing the resettlement work before the end of this year. About 95 percent of the schools are functioning and 90 percent of the arable land are being cultivated in the North. Hospital and medical facilities are freely available while fisheries is a thriving industry in the region. These achievements are the results of systematic and structured strategies followed by the government” he explained.
Minister Peiris said that the government reactivated the electoral system in the North and East while mega development projects had been launched to ensure the connectivity of this land with the rest of the country. He noted that a major railroad system and highways are being constructed with Chinese and Indian support.
He observed that the Forces have a new role to play in post war resurgence in many spheres of the country since it is the major institution in which people have kept an unprecedented confidence.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Chief of Defense Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunathilake, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Navy Commander Vice Admiral D W A S Dissanayake, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama, IGP N K Illangakoon, KDU Vice Chancellor Major General Milinda Peiris, Prof Rohan Gunaratna and many distinguished guests participated.
CDN