Annan's
visit to LTTE areas blocked
By Our Diplomatic Editor
Moves by senior UN officials based in Sri Lanka to
schedule a visit by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to inspect tsunami
damaged areas under the control of the LTTE were stymied by the
Government yesterday, fearing the visit would disturb the 'south'.
Government
sources accused the guerrillas of preparing to seize the opportunity
of such a high-profile visit for grandstanding and propaganda purposes,
and said the fallout of a visit by the senior-most UN executive
without the presence of Sri Lankan officials to an area outside
their control, would have been detrimental to Sri Lanka's territorial
integrity.
Immediately
after it was known that Dr. Annan was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka
following the conclusion of the Jakarta summit on the tsunami disaster,
LTTE legal advisor V. Rudrakumar had extended a written invitation
to Miguel Bermeo, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident
Representative in Sri Lanka for Dr. Annan to visit "Tamil areas
affected by the tsunami".
About
the same time, The Sunday Times learns, the LTTE Peace Secretariat
head, S. Prabagaran alias Pulithevan, had also sounded his counterpart,
Secretary General Jayantha Dhanapala about an Annan visit to Mullaitivu,
the headquarters of the LTTE, and a district badly affected by the
recent tsunami. The request for the visit was made on humanitarian
grounds. Peace Secretariat officials, however, declined to either
confirm or deny these reports, and passed the buck saying the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs was responsible for drawing up the UN Chief's
Sri Lanka itinerary.
According
to diplomatic sources in Colombo, the UNDP chief here had prepared
two itineraries for Dr Annan’s visit. One had included a visit
to LTTE-controlled Mullaitivu district whilst the other included
visits only to Government-held areas. The local UN Resident Representative
had also lobbied with officials of the President's Office for Dr.
Annan to visit LTTE-held areas.
Following
consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, Mr.
Bermeo had to pick on the second option. Foreign Secretary H.M.G.S.
Palihakkara said yesterday the LTTE had made “no direct request
from the Government” for the UN Secretary General to visit
areas held by it. Asked whether the UN had made such a request,
he said, “I cannot comment".
He
said the programme for Dr. Annan’s visit was drawn up by Sri
Lanka as the host country in consultation with the UN office in
Colombo. The Government had offered a visit to Jaffna if the UN
Chief was interested.
Dr
Annan yesterday toured the coastal areas in the south and east,
getting off at Hambantota and at Kinniya in the Trincomalee district.
In Hambantota, he told Reuters correspondent David Fox, “I
am here on a humanitarian mission. I would like to visit all the
areas, but as you know I am here as a guest of the Government and
they set the itinerary".
Reuters
said: “UN officials privately vented their frustration that
the itinerary did not include a stop in rebel-held areas.”
The agency quoted an official speaking on condition of anonymity
as saying “It is a relief visit, not a political one. The
Secretary General wanted to go, but it just didn’t happen".
According
to reports from the Wanni, the LTTE had planned a grand welcome
for the UN Chief. LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was once
more at the centre of wild speculation that he had died during the
tsunami disaster, had planned to make his appearance with the world
leader. First indications came, when his security cadres finecombed
areas they had wanted Dr. Annan to visit.
Meanwhile,
the visit of another foreign dignitary, Britain's Overseas Development
Minister Hillary Benn raised concern at the Colombo Foreign Office
yesterday. Mr. Benn had arrived in Sri Lanka, obtained an aircraft,
toured the country and left for the Maldives, without meeting a
single Sri Lankan Minister as was previously scheduled by arrangement
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This
followed an earlier diplomatic incident where the LTTE had received
direct aid from Italy. Italian Ambassador Salvatore Zotta said the
matter was "now cleared", and refused to answer questions
by telephone. When The Sunday Times reporters called over at his
office, Ambassador Zotta said he was willing to answer any questions,
other than those relating to this issue. |