UN envoy holds talks with Lankan officials over refugees
The United Nations' top envoy for refugees met with Sri Lankan authorities yesterday to discuss the plight of over 250,000 war-displaced civilians held in camps in the north, officials said.
Walter Kalin, the UN secretary general's envoy for refugee rights, arrived late Wednesday and will also tour the camps in the island's north before leaving on Sunday, UN and local officials said.
"Kalin will be in Colombo today for talks with various government officials to appraise himself with the developments on the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons)," a spokesman for the human rights ministry said.
Kalin's visit comes as Sri Lanka once again ruled out any foreign probe into the island's rights record amid mounting international calls for war crimes investigations.
International Trade Minister GL Peiris said he would resist moves by the European Union to investigate human rights violations as a pre-condition for tariff concessions to enter the lucrative European market.
"Foreigners will not be able to interfere with Sri Lanka's sovereignty," Peiris was quoted as saying by the state-run Daily News.
He said Sri Lanka's ambassador to Brussels has been asked to secure an extension of the EU's generalised system of preferences (GSP Plus), which gives some countries easier access to Europe through lower customs barriers.
"We are committed to obtain this tax relief, but we will not submit ourselves for any investigation by any country to extend GSP Plus facility," Peiris said.
The EU had given a list of questions on rights issues and had wanted to send a mission to the island to investigate allegations of abuses during the final stages of fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels this year.
Last week the UN's political chief, Lynn Pascoe expressed concern over the prolonged detention of the civilians and urged Sri Lanka to investigate rights abuses during the final stages of the civil war.
The government says the civilians cannot be allowed freedom of movement until the authorities screen them for remaining Tamil rebels.
Pascoe last week said the Sri Lankan government was not making sufficient progress in implementing a deal between Colombo and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in May to resettle the refugees within six months.
Kalin toured Sri Lanka in April, just days before government troops crushed Tamil Tiger rebels who had been waging a guerrilla war for a homeland since 1972.
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