| I wish to make a comment on what the Minister of Foreign Affairs has stated over the "UN ISSUE" in a news briefing broadcast over the electronic media.
What I gather from his statement is that the Report of the UN Secretary General on war crimes charges against Sri Lanka has no bearing since it has not come through either a resolution of the UN General Assembly or the Security Council.
In my opinion it is an attempt to deceive the public and his own Head of State since his statement has no validity except perhaps for personal gain. The correct position one should understand is that ‘any action taken by the UN Secretary General is an action in performing the official duties of the United Nations’. It is common sense that every member of the UN including the UN Secretary General subscribes to an oath and declaration expressing the obligation to discharge their official functions with the interests of the UN only in view, and not to seek any instructions from any government or other authority external to the Organization. The other important factor to bear in mind is that the Secretary General by virtue of the UN Charter and practices, enjoys a wide range of power not only in matters of peace and war but in many matters connected with humankind.
In this context the report of the UN Secretary General needs to be taken seriously by the Sri Lankan government with little attention paid to the high rising patriotic feelings (worthy of thinking of Iraq and Libya) and by giving top priority for international concerns .If not Sri Lanka is likely to undergo serious repercussions, particularly from our friendly western powers.
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| Prof. W M Karunadasa |
The public may recall that I predicted the possibility of the suspension of the GSP facility, levelling charges against war crimes and imposing economic sanctions and embargoes in the years to come.
What I perceive at this point of time is that the third one is in the pipeline and this could be avoided, perhaps only through new approaches to the foreign policy or through new mechanisms which should be in the hands of eminent persons who possess inborn skills, tact and talent.
The writer is a former Professor of International Relations at the Colombo University |
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