DATE=9/27/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SRI LANKA - U-N (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-254352
BYLINE=VANDANA CHOPRA
DATELINE=COLOMBO
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister has blasted
the United Nations for its statement issued last week
on civilian casualties in the country. Vandana Chopra
reports from Colombo.
TEXT: In an interview in the state-owned newspaper,
Daily News, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said
that except for the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, U-N organizations have a mandate to be
involved only in the social and economic development
of the country.
What stirred Mr. Kadirgamar's anger was a statement
last week by the United Nations resident coordinator's
office in Colombo. It said U-N officials were deeply
concerned by the extensive civilian casualties in two
incidents that occurred in the civil war in Sri Lanka.
The statement was referring to the killing of at least
22 Tamil refugees during an air raid by a government
plane and the subsequent killing of more than 50
Sinhalese civilians by the Tiger separatists.
The U-N statement issued last week urged all parties
to the conflict to refrain from any attacks directed
toward civilians.
The Sri Lankan government maintains the civilian
deaths in the air raid were accidental whereas the
Sinahalese civilians were intentionally killed by the
rebels.
Foreign Minister Kadirgamar said the U-N organization
should restrict its concerns to "malaria and
mosquitos" and not try to expand into other areas.
The minister was very upset at the U-N comments and
said he was sorry he was not in Colombo when the
statement was issued otherwise he would have summoned
the U-N officials and criticized them.
The U-N officials in Colombo were not immediately
available for comment.
The Minister also criticized the International Red
Cross for its comments on the two incidents, saying it
was wrong for them to look at the separate incidents
in the same light and he said they should have drawn a
distinction between the two.
The Tamil Tiger guerillas have been fighting for an
independent homeland for minority Tamils in Sri
Lanka's north and east since 1983.
NEB/VC/PLM
27-Sep-1999 06:54 AM EDT (27-Sep-1999 1054 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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