UN expert as peace advisor
UNITED NATIONS-- Dr Palitha Kohona, a Sri Lankan-born Australian citizen and chief of the U.N. Treaty Section at the Office of Legal Affairs, has been appointed Special Advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to focus on matters relating to Sri Lanka's peace process with the LTTE.

He is expected to beef up the vastly inexperienced Sri Lanka government negotiating team, which will be headed by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. Talks are likely on February 15 and 16.

Mr. Kohona's academic qualifications include an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Sri Lanka, a Master of Laws from the Australian National University, and a PhD in International Economic Law from Cambridge University.

After completing his PhD in England, he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia and was posted as an Australian diplomat to Geneva in 1989. Mr. Kohona will be taking leave of absence from the United Nations to join the Presidential Secretariat in Sri Lanka.

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