Washington: The US on Saturday said it was "deeply dismayed" at the treatment meted out to a top UN official in Sri Lanka and asked the Rajapaksa government to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of UN personnel and premises there.
"The United States is deeply dismayed by the harassment and intimidation of UN personnel and we urge the government of Sri Lanka to meet its obligations under the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated personnel," the state Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news agency on the latest development in Sri Lanka.
"We understand that the United Nations has closed its regional centre (in Sri Lanka) and recalled for consultations its resident co-coordinator due to the blockade of the UN compound this week in Colombo and the role played in it by a government Minister," he said.
"We also call upon the government of Sri Lanka to take all appropriate steps to ensure and safety and security of the personnel and premises of the United Nations, of which Sri Lanka is a member," Toner said.
"Government of Sri Lanka is a member of the UN. We are very concerned about, what we believe is intimidation of the UN offices there," he said.
"We have conveyed our concern to the Sri Lankan government on this issue," Toner said.
PTI
