Delay in appointing panel not due to pressure - Ban

UN chief Ban ki-moon has said that the delay in appointing a panel of experts of Sri Lankais not due to pressure from the Government or Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He added that he is still working on the establishment of the group who will advise him based on international standards and experiences on implementation of the commitment the government made in the area of human rights accountability.

Ban ki-moon met Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris yesterday at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Ban also told reporters that, “As you know, the Sri Lankan Government has announced the establishment of their own commission. The group of experts will have to advise me on the basic characters and the role of this commission. This is what I have in my mind. With my meeting with the new Foreign Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka, I will again urge them to do three things. First of all, continue to improve the conditions of the internally displaced persons, expedite relocation and reintegration of these people. On that, I think they have made some progress. Then again, promote national reconciliation, reaching out to a different group of parties and people for national reconciliation. Thirdly, the accountability process as I have been discussing with President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa, as soon as possible.”