www.innercitypress.com/ocha8srilanka042909.html
UNITED NATIONS, April 29 -- The capture of the UN by Sri Lanka became clear Wednesday in back to back interviews with the UN's top humanitarian John Holmes, followed by Sri Lanka's Ambassador Palihakkara. Inner City Press asked John Holmes about Sri Lanka's arrest of UN staff, and cut off of pay to doctors in the conflict zone. Holmes said he wasn't aware of the arrests, and that the doctors, according to the government, might be "under pressure from the LTTE." Video here, from Minute 27:28. Holmes nevertheless complained for the record about Sri Lanka reneging on its promise to UN envoy Vijay Nambiar to allow a humanitarian assessment team into the conflict zone.
Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN Palihakkara, on the other hand, told Inner City Press that lack of access to the zone was the UN's fault. "They have to go on the ship" of the ICRC, he said, "security experts first." Palihakkara also dismissed the European Union's complaints about the exclusion of the foreign minister of Sweden, the next EU president. It is "a bit over-exaggerated," Palihakkara said, stating that the minister of Sweden has been "invited in May. "Everything about Sri Lanka is a bit hype now," he said.
The European Union, after the tsunami, granted Sri Lanka favorable tariff status under the GSP Plus program. When it expired in December, the EU said that a human rights investigation would be necessary to continue the favorable treatment. Sri Lanka refused the investigation team, but the status by some EU incompetence or loophole continues.
Palihakkara disagreed, saying that "it doesn't expire... there are technical criteria, twenty one core conventions. "All IMF loan questions, he referred to Washington, expressing surprise at French Ambassador Ripert's comments to Inner City Press that "the Americans are playing with the IMF loan," republished with attribution in the Times of London, click here for that.
