A United Nations move for a pause in the fighting in the northern Wanni battle zone -- a prelude to a sea-based evacuation operation of trapped civilians – has met with stiff opposition from the Government.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told a senior UN official that offensive military operations against Tiger guerrillas could not be stopped. Besides other reasons, he told UN Secretary General’s Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar, the LTTE had not availed itself of the two-day Avurudhu pause in fighting (on April 13 and 14).
Mr. Nambiar has been delegated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to engage in what was described as “quiet diplomacy” to persuade the Sri Lanka Government to bring about a pause in the war.
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| Vijay Nambiar |
The move came as international pressure mounted on the Government. Early this week, the Donor Co-chairs – the United States, the European Union, Japan and Norway – repeated their appeal for a ceasefire. They were followed by India.
In a strongly-worded statement, India said “The Government of Sri Lanka must extend its pause in hostilities to prevent further casualties and enable trapped civilians to leave the area to secure locations.”
An Indian External Affairs Ministry statement noted that “the Government of Sri Lanka cannot be oblivious to the evolving human tragedy and the fate of Tamil population caught up in the so-called No Fire Zone.”
The UN’s interest in the ongoing situation in Sri Lanka is reflected in a report by Maththew Russel Lee of Inner City Press at the United Nations on Friday. This is what he said:
“With even the UN now speaking of a ‘bloodbath on the beach’ in Northern Sri Lanka, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has quietly sent his titular chief of
staff Vijay Nambiar, a former Indian diplomat, to the region to try what the UN is calling "quiet diplomacy."
“Inner City Press is told by well-placed sources in and outside of the UN that at first the Sri Lankan government said no, as it had to proposed British envoy Des Browne. Then it relented, and Mr. Nambiar set out.
“At Thursday's UN noon briefing, when Inner City Press asked UN Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq to formally confirm that Mr. Nambiar is the envoy and is in Sri Lanka, Haq confirmed both.
“Some in Ban's inner circle wonder if it is wise to send an Indian for the job, given India's large Tamil population and response to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. But perhaps that, along with Nambiar's ties with the Chinese, is what has made Sri Lanka feel comfortable.
“Separately, an idea is percolating to send or even rent boats to park just off the beach, so that if the Sri Lankan government undertakes the final offensive many are predicting, even in the UN, at least there are ships for some civilians. That such ideas are circulating in the UN, while Ban's chief of staff heads to Colombo, to many indicates that things are coming to a head.
“In the 27 months of the Ban Ki-moon administration, even many of Nambiar's former colleagues in the diplomatic corps have expressed sympathy for him. On paper, he is Ban's chief of staff or chef de cabinet, a powerful position held, under Kofi Annan, by Britains Mark Malloch Brown. But Ban's real chief of staff is Nambiar's deputy Kim Won-soo. The power lines are constantly evident, for example at a ceremony this year when senior UN official signed their Compacts with Ban and then a dozen got in line to speak to Kim while Nambiar stood to the side.
“Could a mission by Nambiar to Sri Lanka rehabilitate his stature in the UN, show what he and not Kim is capable of? As Inner City Press noted with regard to the United States the death toll in Sri Lanka may be Barack Obama's and his advisors' "problem from hell." That's the title of a book by Obama adviser -- and recent Hilary Clinton adversary -- Samantha Power, now on Obama's National Security Council. Her commitments to the principles in the book, given her continued silence, are being called into question by some. The UN, of course, is supposed to stand for and with civilians in harm's way, and with more than quiet diplomacy.
“Sri Lanka loudly rejected the envoy named by Britain, Des Browne. In a government statement from Colombo on which Inner City Press sought comment from the British Mission to the UN, the rejection of Des Browne was reiterated. Is Nambiar viewed differently? His supporters point out that he has "connections with the Chinese," which might be helpful.
“Nambiar was India's ambassador to China, and speaks fluent Chinese. China has resisted even discussing the deaths in Sri Lanka in the UN Security Council chamber, on the theory that it is a purely internal matter. British diplomats publicly take a different view, but some question their commitment to stopping the carnage in Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe, like Sri Lanka, played an anti-colonial card when Britain raised its voice. But in that case Britain pushed forward with a draft sanctions resolution.
“Here, Britain resists even criticizing Sri Lanka's detention of UN staff, offering justifications such as that perhaps the UN staff are able to continue to carry out their UN work while in detention in the camps. Inner City Press continues to wait for Britains formal answer to questions, which Inner City Press asked the British Mission on Sri Lanka on April 15:
“Does Britain believe that international law and the rights of UN humanitarian staff are being violated by the now-acknowledged detention of UN staff in the Sri Lankan government's ‘IDP’ camps?
“It has been reported this morning that Sri Lanka's "minister also told the British Foreign Secretary that there was concern that the LTTE would continue to consolidate its fortification of the No-Fire Zone."
Please confirm the accuracy of that, and of this and if so, does Britain interpret it as saying that an offensive on the No-Fire Zone and the civilians in it will begin? What did Britains Foreign Secretary say?
“As of this press time more than 24 hours later, the formal answer has been a referral to Minister Miliband's April 12 statement.”
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