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HOLMES BROKE THE AGREEMENT TO RESTRICT HIS STATEMENTS TO A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE AND A PRESS RELEASE BY SPEAKING TO REUTER SAYS MAHINDA SAMARASINGHE

By Walter Jayawardhana

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the UN Under Secretary General Holmes has broken the agreement with the government of Sri Lanka to state everything in open in a press release and at a joint press conference by attacking the government in an interview with the Reuter correspondent secretly if the report published is true.

He said as agreed he participated in a joint press conference with him and issued a press release but now the contents of the interview he is purported to have done with the Reuters is quite contradictory with what he told elsewhere.

He said his decision to break the agreement with the government would be taken up with the United nations through diplomatic channels.

The following is a statement made by the government regarding the crisis created:“The Government today expressed its surprise over the unexpected comments made by Sir John Holmes, the United Nations Under Secretary General for the Office for the coordination of Humantarian Affaires (OCHA) in an interview given to the Reuters yesterday.

“Making a special statement at the Parliament this morning, Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayake stated that the Government which facilitated the visit of Sir.Holmes with a view of developing an effective relationship with the UN regrets very much the implication of the statement attributed to him.

“ In this interview Sir John Holmes has stated-I quote ‘there is a concern about the safety of humanitarian workers themselves and the record here is one of the worst in the world from that point of view’ unquote. The entire weight of his assertions is now being placed on Sri Lanka,” said the Prime Minister.

He said that Sri Lanka is deeply concerned with Sir John’s statement in the interview with the Reuters titled ‘Sri Lanka a top danger spot for aid workers’ and it is a marked contradiction to the statement of the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires on his visit, which did not descried Sri Lanka as a ‘dangerous place for humanitarian workers’ and also with his own statements made at the join press conference with the Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe yesterday.

Further in his statement, the Prime Minister stated that the Government of Sri Lanka, in no uncertain terms, rejects Sir John Holmes’ assertion that Sri Lanka is not safe for humanitarian workers. “His Excellency the President has categorically emphasized the Government’s total commitment to the safety of humanitarian workers during his talks with Sir John and the latter has acknowledged and expressed appreciation for the steps taken by the Government with regard to the security of the humanitarian workers engaged in the North and East,” Mr Wickremanayake said.

“The Defence Secretary, in his meeting with Sir John Holmes welcomed genuine humanitarian workers to the East. Furthermore, he visited the North and the East and saw for himself the prevailing conditions therein and the steps taken for the safety of the people. The Government has also explained him the current position with regard to the investigations on the killings of the 17 aid workers of the French NGO ACF.” (EOM)

The Government is confident of the progress with the investigations and sum of the facts correctly emerging may come as an uncomfortable surprise to those who are using this dastardly incident to discredit Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister said.

“Under these circumstances Government cannot but feel that Sir Jhon has contributed to those who seek to discredit the Government and tarnish its international image,” said the Prime Minister.
He said while the Government wished to take cognizance of the UNOCHA statement and the comments made by Sir. Holmes at the press conference, it cannot but utterly reject the remarks made by him in his interview with the Reuters.

“It is precisely because of past experience with journalist who seeks sensationalism at the expense of the truth that Sir John was advised by the Government authorities to be cautious with the media during his visit - unfortunately a visit that was designed to build up confidence has been seriously affected by his interview with a media outlet that traditionally sacrifices the truth in pursuit of sensational headline news,” said the Prime Minister

“While reiterating the Government’s sincere desire to work with the UN and its Institutions with absolute cooperation, it is, though with greatest reluctance wishes to point out that intemperative comments and suggestions could question the impartiality of this institutions,” Mr Wickremanayake concluded.

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