UN Under-Secretary-General Sir John Holmes to visit Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has requested the UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to arrange a visit to Sri Lanka by one of
his colleagues with a view to familiarize himself with the initiatives
undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the humanitarian
needs of civilians and IDPs held hostage by the LTTE in the North of Sri
Lanka.
Accordingly, during a telephone conversation
yesterday(Feb 17), Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama
invited Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, to undertake a visit to Sri
Lanka. It was agreed that during his visit from 19th to 22nd February
2009, Sir John would consult with the UN country team and strengthen
ongoing joint efforts by the Government, UN Agencies and ICRC in
addressing the immediate needs of the civilian population in the North,
as well as address the long term needs of IDPs escaping from uncleared
areas.
During his visit, Sir John is scheduled to call on
President Rajapaksa and to engage in wide ranging discussions with the
Foreign Minister, as well as several line Ministries addressing the
current humanitarian situation. He will also visit Vavuniya accompanied
by the Senior Adviser to the President ,Basil Rajapaksa to have a first
hand briefing on the extensive facilities and arrangements put in place
by the Government to receive the IDPs escaping from the LTTE as well as
to ensure their protection and to provide them necessary assistance.
The Government of Sri Lanka looks forward to a
productive engagement with the visiting UN Under Secretary General the
context of the current humanitarian situation, and recalls with
appreciation his previous visit to Sri Lanka. |
