Colombo: Sri Lankan Army on Friday rubbished the
UN panel report, which says the killing of people in the final
stages of civil strife in the nation could amount to war
crimes, and termed it as an attempt to "tarnish" the image of
the country.
"This is a clear attempt to tarnish the good name of the
country, the President and the Defense Secretary," Army chief
Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said while touring the
country`s Eastern Province.
Jayasuriya echoed the government`s response to the panel
report as one carrying "unverified accusations" against Sri
Lanka.
The three-member panel in its report has blamed Sri
Lanka for war crimes during the last stages of the military
conflict with the LTTE.
"As the commander of the Wanni (the former LTTE held
territory) I was aware of what happened during the war.
"All allegations are unfounded and baseless," Jayasuriya
said, adding an Army team is preparing answers to all
allegations in the report.
The Army chief`s comments came as External Affairs
Minister GL Peiris said that he will raise the issue during a
foreign ministerial meeting of the non-aligned nations this
month.
PTI
