Colombo: Sri Lankan Government on Thursday
asked the United Nations not to make public its report on
alleged war crimes in the country, saying it could setback its
reconciliation efforts.
External Affairs Minister GL Peiris said the UN
should not release the report as it could prove damaging to
his country. His comments came amidst reports that the UN
panel report is about to be made public.
"The publication of this report will cause irreparable
damage to the reconciliation efforts of Sri Lanka. It will
also damage the UN system," Peiris said.
Describing the UN report as "preposterous", Peiris
told reporters, "We ask them to refrain from any steps that
will make reconciliation more difficult."
The Lankan Minister claimed that the UN panel report
had no legal authority and the publishing of the document
would undermine the principle of sovereign equality.
Key excerpts from the panel report were carried in a
mysterious leak by Lanka`s widely circulated Island newspaper
earlier this week, saying reports that Sri Lankan military had
committed war crimes in its final decisive offensive against
Tamil Tigers in 2009, were "credible".
The panel called for an "independent" inquiry into the
war crimes.
The three-member panel, appointed by UN Secretary
General Ban ki-Moon submitted its report last week without
making it public.
Peiris denied that government had leaked the report to
`The Island` newspaper.
The Sri Lankan Government had described the report as
"flawed", dubbing it a Western nations led mechanism to
undermine Sri Lanka`s victory over terrorism.
PTI
