The Hindu : International : "Bid to damage Sri Lanka's reputation"

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Saturday, Aug 11, 2007
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International

"Bid to damage Sri Lanka's reputation"

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake on Friday accused Sir John Holmes, United Nations Under Secretary General for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), of tarnishing the international image of the country.

Taking serious exception to Sir John’s reported remarks during the just-concluded visit that the island was the “most dangerous place” on the earth for humanitarian workers, the Prime Minister deemed it necessary to make a special statement on the subject.

Since the escalation of hostilities between the military and the LTTE over a year ago, Colombo has become highly sensitive to critical comments from international organisations. The tussle between the Government and the International Independent of Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) best illustrates the point.

The Prime Minister recalled the detailed briefings he was given by various officials here and said, “Under these circumstances [the] Government cannot but feel that Sir John has contributed to those who seek to discredit the Government and tarnish its international image.”

He said the Government which facilitated the visit of Sir John with a view of developing an effective relationship with the U.N. regrets very much the implications of the statement attributed to him.

He said Sri Lanka was deeply concerned with Sir John’s statement which is in marked contradiction to the statement of the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires on his visit, which did not describe Sri Lanka as a “dangerous place for humanitarian workers” and also with his own statements made at the joint press conference with the Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe on Thursday.

Separately, the LTTE alleged that after agreeing to open the Madhu road for pilgrims going to the Madhu church for the festival week, the Army placed additional conditions thus stalling the opening of the road.

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