By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 19 -- The role of the “UN's special envoy to Sri Lanka” Vijay Nambiar was described in a detailed article in The New Yorker magazine published nine days ago.
On January 19, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky to respond to the article, in particular the description of Mr. Nambiar as one of only two negotiators who urged surrendering fighters to come out with white flags -- after which they were shot to death.
The other of the two negotiators, Marie Colvin, is quoted as saying that these murders were “not the chaos of battle. It was a negotiated surrender. Promises were made and they were broken.”
Inner City Press asked Nesirky for the UN's, and Mr. Nambiar's, position on the murders. Video here, from Minute 12:40.
Nesirky claimed that “Mr. Nambiar has addressed this before,” apparently referring to a single Al Jazeera interview, most of the footage of which never aired, in which Nambiar speculated that the surrenderees were “killed by the Tamil Tigers.”
Nambiar also said that he had spoken at that time with Palitha Kohona, something which Kohona -- who is reportedly now to be removed from Sri Lanka position in New York and moved to London -- immediately disputed to Inner City Press.
So if this constituted Nambiar “addressing the issue,” one of this two statements has been disputed by the person concerned. Now the person who negotiated alongside him blames the government. What does Mr. Nambiar and the UN say?
Nesirky admonished to “be careful how you characterize the roles” of Mr. Nambiar and Ms. Colvin. He then cut off Inner City Press from asking another question, using the appearance at 12:15 of the UN's Special Advisors on Genocide and Responsibility to Protect as the excuse. Video here, from 16:27.
Later, when Inner City Press sought to ask the latter whether the Offices of Genocide or R2P had any involvement in, or comment on, Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka.
But despite allowing others a second round of questions, Nesirky refused to allow Inner City Press to put this question on camera to Ban Ki-moon's Special Advisor on the Responsibility to Protect. Video here, from Minute 47:50.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is now on a surprise visit to the United States, according to former Deputy Permanent Representative Bandula Jayasekara -- watch this site.
Questions on Sri Lanka that Inner City Press asked UN on January 17, still without any answers:
when did Ms. Bragg apply for a visa to Sri Lanka, when was it granted and are there any conditions on the visa, regarding where to travel, whom to speak with, etc?
What does OCHA say to the protests in east Batticaloa about allegedly inequitable distribution of aid?
Also, previously asked to Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General:
Does the UN have any comment on Sri Lanka's government ordering the International Committee of the Red Cross out of Northern Sri Lanka? http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91160
Or, as previously requested, on the new rules requiring NGOs and INGOs to register with the Department of Defense, etc?
