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Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

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At UN on Sri Lanka Report, Agencies Prepared, Portugal Only Against Leaks

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 -- With the UN Panel of Experts' Sri Lanka report expected to be released April 21 at noon, Inner City Press is told that a meeting was held at 4 pm on April 20 with UN agencies, to get them “on the same page” about the report.

  Meanwhile, contrary to reports that Portugal opposed mention of the Sri Lanka in the Security Council on April 18, Inner City Press is told by Portugal's Mission to the UN that the only raised the issue that “an NGO” gave the Portuguese Ambassador (some of) the report.

  On the evening of April, Sri Lankan Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona told Inner City Press that an NGO gave the report to the Portuguese Ambassador, and it appeared a pro government publication.

 (The same publication reported that the report was handed to Sri Lanka's Shavendra Silva by Vijay Nambiar, whose role in the so called white flag murders of surrendees is described in a filing with the International Criminal Court. More on this to follow.)

But Portugal was only speaking about the leak, not criticizing the report or its official release.

At 10 a.m. on April 21, Inner City Press e-mailed UN spokesmen Farhan Haq and Martin

This is a request to be told as soon as the Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka is released or made available by the UN. Also please state the role of Mr. Nambiar in reviewing the report, please disclose how much was spent by the UN in preparing the report, please state whether the Panel or any member traveled to Sri Lanka and if not, why not, and please deny or confirm and describe any meeting by any Sri Lanka government official since the Panel's work began. Please confirm receipt of these requests.”

But more than an hour and a half later, not even confirmation of receipt had been received. A Security Council Deputy Permanent Representative told Inner City Press that the report should be released today, “Pascoe said so in the Council.” Watch this site.

* * *

On Sri Lanka, As GL Peiris Trashes Report, UN Moves to Release It

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 -- The UN of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon waited two weeks after its Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka was finished before handing it to the country's deputy ambassador General Shavendra Silva, but not to the public.

  After a week of selective leaking of the report, presumptively by the Sri Lankan government of Mahinda Rajapaksa, foreign minister G.L. Peiris this morning said the Panel went beyond its mandate by including war crimes issues in its report.

  Ban's UN, having done everything possible to undermine the Panel's report, and with Ban on a visit in Rajapaksa-supporting Russia, moves belatedly to release the report.

  The back story to the report puts Ban and his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar in an even worse light. Ban sent Nambiar, India's former ambassador at the UN, to Sri Lanka as his envoy in 2009.

  As since described in a filing with the International Criminal Court, Nambiar told surrendering Tamil Tiger LTTE leaders to come out with a white flag, they would be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law. Then they were killed.

  Nambiar has never explained its role. Yet Ban has allowed Nambiar to be involved in, even to lead, the UN's review of and action on the report. Inner City Press has asked if Nambiar would be recused, but this has not happened. Nor has Nambiar taken questions on the topic.

  The Panel's report calls for Ban to order an inquiry into the UN's own behavior, including the decision under Ban and Nambiar not to release casualty figures during the final “bloodbath on the beach” stage of the conflict.

  How can a person credibly linked to these actions being allowed to decide to investigate themselves, or not?

  Only belatedly did Ban even name the Panel. Then in December 2010 Ban thanked Rajapaksa for his flexibility, and said the Panel could travel to Sri Lanka. Under Inner City Press questioning, Ban repeated this twice in January.

  But such a trip never took place, now allowing the Rajapaksa government to say the Panel relied on second hand accounts. The trip was apparently replaced by a meeting between Sri Lanka's attorney general Mohan Peiris and the Panel (as well as Ban's top political adviser Lynn Pascoe).

  When Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky about this meeting, Nesirky said, you were there with a camera, you saw it didn't happen.


Ban, with Kohona looking on, with Silva, 196 pages & 36 hours not shown (c)MRLee

  Now Nesirky's deputy Farhan Haq, who also denied the existence of the ICC filing detailing Nambiar's role in the white flag killings, claims that Nesirky never denied that the Mohan Peiris meeting with Ban's Panel took place. Things are looking worse and worse.

  Pro government press in Sri Lanka after that meeting reported that the UN had agreed to hold off the report for several weeks. In fact, this entailed waiting from at latest March 31, when the Panel signed the report as obtained by Inner City Press, to April 12 to Ban and April 13 to Silva.

  As Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN Palitha Kohona bragged to Inner City Press this week, the UN still had to wait, as April 13-15 was a new year holiday in Sri Lanka, and April 18 was a “moon holiday.” Make that a Ban Ki-MOON holiday, one might call it.

  Sri Lanka chose the time when the report would be given to it, then told the UN it had to hold off based on holidays it knew about in advance. The UN never followed through on its 24 then 36 hour deadline, instead allowing the government to pre-leak and pre-criticize the report.

  Now in the Security Council Russia has criticized the report, and Ban is now visiting Russia. Inner City Press asked Haq the obvious, whether Sri Lanka and the report would be agenda items during Ban's time in Russia. Haq said subsequent readout was answer this -- but the UN's readouts, especially but not only on Sri Lanka, are in the view of many not credible.

  In this lead-up is a predictor of how Ban's UN will ultimately deal with the report and issue, it does not bode well. Except, perhaps, for a second term as Secretary General for Ban Ki-moon. Watch this site.

* * *

On Sri Lanka, UN's Explanation of Non-Release Shifts, 3 Weeks After Panel Finished Report

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 -- The UN's story about their delay in releasing the Panel of Experts' report on Sri Lanka got even more convoluted on April 20.

Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq to explain the delay between the Panel's sign off date on the report as obtained and published by Inner City Press (but not The Island), March 31, and the April 12 turn off to Ban, and April 13 to Sri Lanka.

The UN's Haq said, “I won't have a comment on the time frames.”

Then he tried to explain the delay by referring to Ban Ki-moon's travels -- for example to Hungary and now Russia, where Haq has declined to say if Sri Lanka will be discussed. Haq said, “The panel wanted to present to S-G... He has had a number of travels.”

Inner City Press asked if anyone in the UN -- for example, Ban's senior adviser Vijay Nambair, whose role in the so called white flag killings of surrendees at the end of the conflict has been described in a filing with the International Criminal Court -- saw the report between its March 31 sign off date and April 12.

Haq did not say no, instead choosing to re-focus on Ban Ki-moon not having gotten it until “Monday.” (Actually, according to the UN it was Tuesday, April 12 -- Inner City Press reported on April 11 it would be the next day, April 12).

But then Haq spoke about the UN's senior advisers -- no mention of Ban -- getting a response together. Nambiar, it seems clear, has not been recused.

The UN tried to explain the delayed release -- after having told General Shavendra Silva that Sri Lanka had 24 then 36 hours -- as waiting for the government's response.

 But then Haq says there is no need to wait. The fact remains: the report was signed off on by the Panel three weeks ago, and Ban has allowed Sri Lanka to control its leaked release and to call for mass protests. Watch this site.

* * *
On Sri Lanka, UN Gave 196 Pages to Silva, Asked 24 Then 36 Hours, Got Played

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 19 -- On Sri Lanka, with the UN Secretariat in seeming paralysis holding back the war crimes Panel of Experts' report five full days after portions were leaked, presumptively by the government, to The Island newspaper, sources have described the process to Inner City Press.

  The report, they say, is 196 pages long. On April 11, Inner City Press learned that it would be handed to Ban Ki-moon on April 12. After it was, it was also provided -- on hard copy only -- to Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative, General Shavendra Silva, who is himself implicated in war crimes in the final stages of the conflict.

The UN told Shavendra Silva that Ban would be releasing the report in 24 hours, sources tell Inner City Press. Silva responded that the Sri Lankan government wanted or needed “a little more time.” The UN replied that it would give 36 hours, tops.

But the 36 hours came and went. And by then a scan of the hard copy had been provided to The Island, a newspapers with agrees with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Island ran it, with typos as identified by Inner City Press.

Inexplicable to many, Ban and the UN Secretariat even then did not release the report. They held it over the weekend, and did not release it either Monday or Tuesday. They have, many say, undermined the report.

   The Experts, too, have done their part. Their report as excerpted says that all international staff left an area, then has international staff witnessing the shelling of a medical facility. This will be fodder for the government's response. But the government of Rajapaksa has already responded, with a call for mass protests against the UN report on May 1.

Why did Ban do this? Why did he never call for a ceasefire? Why did he send Nambiar as his envoy, and still allow him to be involved after his role in the so-called white flag killings of surrenderees? What will Ban discuss with Russia on his upcoming visit? How might this all be used to assure a second term as Secretary General? Watch this site.

Footnote: beyond misleading about the meeting of Attorney General Mohan Peiris with Ban's now invisible panel, it's reported that during that secret session, the UN agreed to give Sri Lanka some extra weeks before the filing of the report. It was extended to April 12, the day before the New Year in Sri Lanka, when all of the above then happened. One couldn't have done more to undermine a war crimes report.

* * *

 Click here for an Inner City Press YouTube channel video, mostly UN Headquarters footage, about civilian deaths in Sri Lanka.

Click here for Inner City Press' March 27 UN debate

Click here for Inner City Press March 12 UN (and AIG bailout) debate

Click here for Inner City Press' Feb .26 UN debate

Click here for Feb. 12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56

Click here for Inner City Press' Jan. 16, 2009 debate about Gaza

Click here for Inner City Press' review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate

Click here for Inner City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger

Click here from Inner City Press' December 12 debate on UN double standards

Click here for Inner City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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