Responsibility lies with Sri Lanka - UN

It is the responsibility of Sri Lanka as a sovereign state to conduct a credible independent investigation in to the allegations of war crimes, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

In response to a question on Sri Lanka, Martin Nesirky, the Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Secretary-General had made it clear that he believes that, in a first instance, it is the responsibility of sovereign states to conduct independent investigations of a credible nature.

Nesirky added that the Secretary-General had said that he believes there should be consent from Sri Lankan authorities or a mandate from an intergovernmental body concerning an international independent mechanism.

The intergovernmental body could be the Human Rights Council, Nesirky added.

The Spokesperson said the recommendations of the Panel of Experts appointed by the Secretary-General to probe Sri Lanka’s accountability during the later stages of the war are public and available for all to see.

Asked about new video footage of executions during the civil war in Sri Lanka, Nesirky said that this again underscored the need for a credible national accountability mechanism.

(www.info.gov.lk)