The US asked the Sri Lankan government to "take advantage" of the opportunity and accept an offer of a UN team that is probing alleged human rights abuses in the final months of the war with the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam. The UN on Tuesday announced that Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had set up a three-member panel to look into alleged human rights violations during the final stages of the war against the LTTE in Sri Lanka.
"We urge the Sri Lankan government to take advantage of this team... take advantage of their offer," State Department Deputy spokesman Mark Toner quoted US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice as saying. The UN panel is headed by Indonesia's former attorney general Marzuki Darusman, and has two other
He termed as "unnecessary" Ban's appointment of the three-member panel. Stating that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had already set up a Commission on "Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation" under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, a statutory regime available under Sri Lankan law, Peiris said the UN panel would not serve any purpose.
Must give Sri Lanka another chance: US
