UN chief may discuss issue of foreign judges in war probe

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon may discuss the issue of having foreign judges in Sri Lanka’s domestic accountability process on the war, a UN spokesman said.

Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that the UN chief will address a number of issues related to justice and accountability.

“It’s a forward-looking message of the need for, obviously, accountability, reconciliation, and for development.  And that the UN will be there with the Sri Lankan people to help… to help them on their road forward,” Dujarric said when asked about Ban Ki-moon’s Sri Lanka visit.

At the invitation of the Government, the Secretary-General accompanied by spouse Ban Soon-taek arrived last night in Sri Lanka for a three-day visit, where he will meet with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and other members of the Government and of the Parliament.

The Secretary-General will travel to Galle on 1 September, where he will participate in an event involving youth under the theme ‘Reconciliation and Coexistence: Role of Youth’.

On 2 September, the Secretary-General will travel to Jaffna, where he is expected to visit a resettlement site.

During the visit, the Secretary-General will also meet with several Cabinet Ministers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera; the Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Political Party Leaders; and civil society representatives.

At the invitation of the Chairperson and Board of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), the Secretary-General will speak at an event in Colombo on 2 September on ‘Sustaining Peace – Achieving Sustainable Development Goals’, focusing in particular on Goal 16, namely, the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. 

(Colombo Gazette)