Ban did not watch the Channel 4 documentary - spokesman
June 16, 2011 06:43 am
A day after the one hour documentary ‘Sri Lanka Killing Fields’ was shown on Britain’s Channel 4, UN Chief Ban Ki Moon’s spokesman Martin Nesirky said that Ban ‘has not actually seen the documentary’ but is ‘aware of its themes.’
When questioned, Nesirky reiterated that the Secretary-General has made clear that it is indeed the responsibility first and foremost of the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out a credible investigation and inquiry into the events that unfolded there at the end of the conflict.
Excerpt of Transcript;
Question: Sure, I wanted to ask you this first, in… last night, in the UK [United Kingdom], Channel 4 screened an hour-long documentary called Sri Lanka — the killing fields that had interviewed former UN staff, saying that pulling out of Kilinochchi had been a mistake. And I just wondered, it something… What’s the status of the Secretary-General’s statement that he would look into or inquire into the UN’s own performance in Sri Lanka, including, that of his Chief of Staff in the white flag, which was also covered in the documentary, and does… has the Secretary-General seen that video and does he… might he reconsider what Channel 4 calls his rejection of his own Panel of Experts report? That’s their quote.
Spokesperson: Well, first of all, the Secretary-General is aware of the report. He has not actually seen the documentary yet. I think you could understand logistically why that might be unlikely at this point. But he is certainly aware of the documentary and the themes of that film. You raise a couple of points. The first on the recommendations in the report; far from rejecting the recommendations, the Secretary-General has said, with regard to looking at the internal workings of the United Nations in response to that particular crisis, he has accepted the recommendations and the UN Secretariat is working with other parts of the UN system on how that will actually take place. And indeed, far from rejecting the other recommendations of the panel, the Secretary-General has made clear that it is indeed the responsibility first and foremost of the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out a credible investigation and inquiry into the events that unfolded there at the end of the conflict. And furthermore, he has said that any international investigation, if it is to have executive and judicial powers, it is a simple fact that it would require either national consent from the Sri Lankan authorities or a mandate from the Human Rights Council, the Security Council or the General Assembly.
Question: Thanks a lot, I mean, I appreciate that. I just wanted… this phrase that this… if it were to have executive and judicial powers, in the recommendations they make, they just say, they recommend that the Secretary-General set up an international investigative mechanism. Is this some distinction… is there… are you… is… do you acknowledge that he could set up an investigation, such as the mapping report was done on the Congo?
Spokesperson: Well, the Secretary-General of his own volition set up the Panel of Experts. The Panel of Experts’ report, as you well know, as you will have seen it, is a weighty and extremely serious document that contains a large amount of information which is now available to all Member States and indeed to NGOs — non-governmental organizations — and the media. It’s out there. To go beyond that required a mandate in the fashion that I have described. Yes, Mr. Abbadi?
When questioned, Nesirky reiterated that the Secretary-General has made clear that it is indeed the responsibility first and foremost of the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out a credible investigation and inquiry into the events that unfolded there at the end of the conflict.
Excerpt of Transcript;
Question: Sure, I wanted to ask you this first, in… last night, in the UK [United Kingdom], Channel 4 screened an hour-long documentary called Sri Lanka — the killing fields that had interviewed former UN staff, saying that pulling out of Kilinochchi had been a mistake. And I just wondered, it something… What’s the status of the Secretary-General’s statement that he would look into or inquire into the UN’s own performance in Sri Lanka, including, that of his Chief of Staff in the white flag, which was also covered in the documentary, and does… has the Secretary-General seen that video and does he… might he reconsider what Channel 4 calls his rejection of his own Panel of Experts report? That’s their quote.
Spokesperson: Well, first of all, the Secretary-General is aware of the report. He has not actually seen the documentary yet. I think you could understand logistically why that might be unlikely at this point. But he is certainly aware of the documentary and the themes of that film. You raise a couple of points. The first on the recommendations in the report; far from rejecting the recommendations, the Secretary-General has said, with regard to looking at the internal workings of the United Nations in response to that particular crisis, he has accepted the recommendations and the UN Secretariat is working with other parts of the UN system on how that will actually take place. And indeed, far from rejecting the other recommendations of the panel, the Secretary-General has made clear that it is indeed the responsibility first and foremost of the Sri Lankan authorities to carry out a credible investigation and inquiry into the events that unfolded there at the end of the conflict. And furthermore, he has said that any international investigation, if it is to have executive and judicial powers, it is a simple fact that it would require either national consent from the Sri Lankan authorities or a mandate from the Human Rights Council, the Security Council or the General Assembly.
Question: Thanks a lot, I mean, I appreciate that. I just wanted… this phrase that this… if it were to have executive and judicial powers, in the recommendations they make, they just say, they recommend that the Secretary-General set up an international investigative mechanism. Is this some distinction… is there… are you… is… do you acknowledge that he could set up an investigation, such as the mapping report was done on the Congo?
Spokesperson: Well, the Secretary-General of his own volition set up the Panel of Experts. The Panel of Experts’ report, as you well know, as you will have seen it, is a weighty and extremely serious document that contains a large amount of information which is now available to all Member States and indeed to NGOs — non-governmental organizations — and the media. It’s out there. To go beyond that required a mandate in the fashion that I have described. Yes, Mr. Abbadi?