UN spokesman clarifies Lankan premier’s presence at anniversary event

At the weekly UN news briefing, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq was asked about Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's presence at an event in Colombo to mark their 73rd anniversary.

His response: “We were asked last week about the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s participation in the UN Day events that we held in Sri Lanka this year. The UN Day event took place to commemorate the anniversary of the Organisation with the participation of a range of stakeholders, including the host government, as is practice in many countries around the world.

“The event also included the participation of youth and civil society speakers from all communities, and highlighted messages on human rights, development and peace and security – the pillars of the work of the Organisation. Our principled stance on human rights and justice in Sri Lanka and the rest of the world is clear.

“We are continuously striving to strengthen the implementation of the human rights due diligence policy with regard to peacekeepers in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.”

Here is a Q&A extract from the news conference.

Question: Yep. My question is that why, the Tamils, when the war is over and they're attacking past history, don't they try now to have a coalition, which is so key in international politics? If you continue eradicating the opposition long after there's peace in the country and it’s prospering, why are they, with this human rights question, still attacking the ones... the Tamils, why are they still not being more quiet? Spokesman: As you know, we have supported dialogue among all the communities in Sri Lanka, and we continue to do that. And certainly, we believe that there has been some progress on this front in recent years, but much more does need to be done.