Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban9srilanka022309.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 23 -- With civilians in Sri Lanka trapped in escalating armed conflict, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday belated called for a "suspension in fighting." Ban previously told Inner City Press he couldn't call for a ceasefire because Sri Lanka is not on the Security Council agenda, and Ban has still not used the word "ceasefire."
Outside a February 23 meeting about Myanmar, Inner City Press asked Ban, "before, you said that you weren’t calling for a ceasefire because it wasn’t on the Security Council’s agenda. Now, having heard hopefully from Mr. [John] Holmes, what do you think should happen in Sri Lanka at this time?"
Ban's answer, written on note cards and subsequently put in the UN's website, "deplore[d] the increasing casualties among civilians trapped in the intense fighting between the government and the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] over the last several days and would strongly support a suspension of fighting for the purpose of allowing safe passage of the civilian population trying to flee the conflict." Ban called for "political discussions." Video here, from Minute 9:23.
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, whose John Holmes just visited Sri Lanka, now tells Inner City Press pointed that there is no request for a Security Council briefing on Sri Lanka, despite UK Ambassador John Sawers statement on February 20 to expect a Council briefing when Holmes arrives in New York.
Holmes apparently came and went from New York without speaking even to his spokesperson,* who a day later provided written answers to Inner City Press' questions, including confirming that Holmes accepted translation from the Sri Lankan government's Minister of Resettlement, and that no tape recordings were kept. Video, the UN has been told, shows a woman telling Holmes that her son was abducted by the Army, only to have the Minister of Resettlement mis-translate it as that her son was killed by the Tamil Tigers. Ban said that Holmes "had a very good visit to Sri Lanka."
*- the spokesperson later on February 23 told Inner City Press that "John Holmes flew straight from Sri Lanka to Colombia." Inner City Press was relying on the February 20 statement by the UN spokesperson that "Holmes is going to come here this weekend, and then he is going to fly again to Colombia. But we’ll try to get him to come and talk to you between those trips."
Here the full question and answer with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as transcribed by the UN, followed by the UN's written answers to questions Inner City Press posed for John Holmes:
Inner City Press: Before, you said that you weren’t calling for a ceasefire because it wasn’t on the Security Council’s agenda. Now, having heard hopefully from Mr. [John] Holmes, what do you think should happen in Sri Lanka at this time?
S-G Ban: Mr. Holmes had a very good visit to Sri Lanka. He had meetings with many senior government officials, including President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa. The UN deplores the increasing casualties among civilians trapped in the intense fighting between the government and the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] over the last several days and would strongly support a suspension of fighting for the purpose of allowing safe passage of the civilian population trying to flee the conflict.
There is an urgent need to bring this conflict to an end without any further unnecessary loss of civilian life and destruction of Sri Lankan society. The United Nations renews its call on all sides to pursue serious efforts toward political discussion to achieve an orderly end to the conflict.
Here are the UN's written answers to questions Inner City Press posed for John Holmes:
Inner City Press: did [Holmes] speak with displaced or impacted people outside the presence of representatives of the government?
Answer: Yes. While during the visit, the opportunity of talking on his own was limited with so many people around, he made an effort and did speak to some people on his own with translation by UN staff. He also spoke with a number of UN colleagues and humanitarian workers who have regular contact on their own with IDPs and received their views.
Inner City Press: What evidence of violations of international humanitarian law by the Sri Lankan armed forces, as well as the LTTE, did he observe or become aware of?
Answer: Mr. Holmes expressed his concern about the significant numbers of civilians being injured inside the Vanni pocket by fighting between the GoSL and the LTTE and he met people to whom this had happened. He also met people whose escape had been hindered by the LTTE and is aware of civilians reportedly being shot by the LTTE as they try to escape. Furthermore civilians are possibly being held against their will inside the Vanni pocket.
Inner City Press: Did he participate in any discussions of extraction of people from Vanni by military aircraft? To where? With what countries' aircraft?
Answer: No.
Inner City Press: What were the interactions between Mr. Holmes and the Sri Lankan armed forces, including but not limited to travel, presence during interactions with displaced or impacted people?
Answer: Mr. Holmes met briefly with officers of the Sri Lankan forces during his visit including the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Holmes met civilians both with military officers present and on his own.
Inner City Press: Who did the translation(s) for him?
Answer: Different people at different times, including UN staff, and the government agent for Vavuniya who is a Tamil Sri Lankan and one time briefly (before a staff member assisted) through the Minister of Resettlement..
Inner City Press: Were tape recordings of what was said, in original language, kept?
Answer: no.
Inner City Press: Please list the individuals and organizations which whom Mr. Holmes met, and provide his schedule / itinerary.
Answer: In addition to UN, NGO and ICRC staff and representatives of member states, Mr. Holmes met the President, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights and the Secretary of that Ministry, the Senior Advisor to the President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of the MoFA, the Minister of Resettlement, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Ministry of National Building and Estate Infrastructure Development, and the Umbrella Group in Vavuniya,
Inner City Press: In light of UK Ambassador Sawers' and others' statements Friday with regard to Security Council briefing after Mr. Holmes' departure from Sri Lanka, when would Mr. Holmes be available for such a Council briefing?
Answer: No request for a briefing of the Council has been made.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban9srilanka022309.html
