SINHALA GOVT REJECTS UK-ENVOY!!! BUT TAMILS WELCOME IT AS IT HELPS JUSTICE, RECONCILIATION AND POLITICAL SOLUTION!!!

SL- Cabinet rejects special UK envoy


UK envoy says he will liaise with all parties

The Cabinet has rejected the appointment of a special envoy to Sri Lanka by the British government, Daily Mirror learns. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had appointed Des Browne MP as his Special Envoy to Sri Lanka yesterday.

The official announcement was made late last night. However, well informed government sources said that Cabinet, which had been informed of the move earlier in the day by the British Prime Minister, had decided to reject it on the grounds that such an appointment would be an infringement of Sri Lankas sovereignty.

The British High Commissioner in Colombo had also reportedly discussed the matter with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday before the official announcement was made.

Daily Mirror learns that the Foreign Ministry was later tasked by Cabinet to notify the British Foreign Office of the Sri Lankan government’s stand on the appointment.

The British government said that, in his new role, Des Browne would focus on the immediate humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka and the Government of Sri Lanka's work to set out a political solution to bring about a lasting end to the conflict.

As special envoy, he will work closely with the Sri Lankan government, leaders from all communities in Sri Lanka, international agencies and the wider international community. However, there was no direct mention of whether the special envoy would seek to engage with the LTTE.

Speaking of his appointment, Des Browne had said he welcomed the opportunity to act as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy and was looking forward to contributing to the UKs efforts to improve the serious humanitarian situation and liaising with all parties that may have a role to play in taking forward work on a sustainable political solution in Sri Lanka.

British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, had last week called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict in Sri Lanka, as the death toll continued to rise and conditions for the civilian population deteriorated.

He had said that, if peace were to be sustainable, there needed to be a new drive for political engagement by the Sri Lankan Government with all communities in Sri Lanka, to address their legitimate concerns.

The British Foreign Secretary had also said on his blog website that he had spoken to President Mahinda Rajapaksa two weeks ago about his concern regarding the humanitarian situation in the North. “News today of further fighting and no sign of the ceasefire that the Government proposed, renews that concern. Reports of deadly attacks on international medical centres are rightly at the top of the news,” he said. (ER)

dailymirror.lk