Wrong to publish Moon panel report

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Wrong to publish Moon panel report

Advisory panel not a UN body - Minister of External Affairs
It is fundamentally wrong for the UN to publish the report or take action based on the recommendations by the UN panel of advisors, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris said.
Speaking to media today (21) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Prof. Peiris said the report was not complied by the UN or a mandated UN body.
The panel was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations only to advise him on Sri Lanka. "It is not a fact finding or an investigative body," he said.
The UN panel has overstepped its mandate by investigating alleged war crimes when they have no authority to do so, Prof. Peiris said.
'When Sri Lankan is making efforts to leave behind the past, the UN should consider whether the content of the report is going to contribute positively to the national unity of Sri Lanka or instead encourage divisions between the communities", Prof. Peiris added.
The UN should refrain from taking any steps that can restrain the reconciliation process in the country, the Minister further said.
Minister Peiris said it is unacceptable for the panel to release a report even before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) submits its report. "How can the UN panel come to a conclusion even without looking at the LLRC report," the Minister questioned.
"What we say to the UN system is let us work together. The UN should reach out to Sri Lanka at a time it is coming out of one of its darkest periods", he emphasized.
Minister Peiris also firmly rejected the assumption that the report was leaked to the press in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan government.
He also said the government has not appointed a committee to study the UN panel report.
Courtesy : President's media unit