By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, February 13 -- The Sri Lankan government's first response to the more than two weeks of questions by Inner City Press about the appointment as a UN "Senior Adviser on Peacekeeping Operations" of General Shavendra Silva, whose Division 58 is repeatedly named in connection with war crimes in Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts report, was to sent a letter of complaint to Inner City Press.
The Sri Lanka mission also sent copies to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman as well as to some in the UN press corps.
Then, after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told Inner City Press on February 13 she had expressed her "concern" about Silva to Ban, the Sri Lankan mission issued a statement -- not to Inner City Press -- calling the concerns "unethical," and got it reported.
But the concerns about Silva, Inner City Press has exclusively learned, extend to large Asian peacekeeping countries as well, and the Sri Lankan mission knows this, even as it sends out its missives .
Bangladesh' Permanent Representative Abulkalam Abdul Momen exclusively told Inner City Press, regarding Sri Lanka slipping in Silva as the Asian Group's representative on the Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, "we were surprised they sent a controversial participant... it's not fair."
Adding that Silva "individually is not acceptable," Abulkalam Abdul Momen told Inner City Press, "I, India and Pakistan, we have requested Sri Lanka to fix it up."
So even as Sri Lanka first attacked Inner City Press for calling Silva inappropriate as a UN adviser, then called Pillay "unethical," the Sri Lankan mission knew that three large Asian countries were saying Silva is "not acceptable" and that it must be "fixed."
Other sources say Sri Lanka has been seeking commitments not to push for accountability at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in exchange for switching Silva for Palitha Kohona, who also figures in the UN Panel of Experts report in connection with the White Flag murders of surrendees, in which Ban Ki-moon's own chief of staff Vijay Nambiar also played a role.
But with this Asian opposition known, does Sri Lanka's "leverage" decrease? Watch this site.
Footnotes: India and Pakistan are on the Security Council, which is on a trip this week to Haiti. India's Deputy Permanent Representative has headed back to India to prepare for a visit by the President of the General Assembly.
Inner City Press has repeated ask Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky to describe anything Ban or his team was doing about Silva as an adviser, and nothing has been said. So if and when this "fix" is made, it will be no-thanks to Ban Ki-moon.
