The UN chief lent credence to the possibility of war crimes in Sri Lanka, saying an international investigation is needed to examine the military actions of the government and defeated Tamil Tiger rebels during the civil war.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, at a closed-door briefing for Security Council members, called for a credible inquiry to be undertaken with international backing and full support from Sri Lanka's government.
He declined to elaborate on exactly how the inquiry should be done, but he urged an examination of what he said were serious allegations of violations of international humanitarian laws, according to diplomats and UN officials who attended.
"Any inquiry, to be meaningful, should be supported by the members of the United Nations, and also should be very impartial and objective," Ban told reporters yesterday at UN headquarters.
"I would like to ask the Sri Lankan government to recognise the international call for accountability and full transparency," he said. "And whenever and wherever there are credible allegations of violations of humanitarian law, there should be a proper investigation."
Sri Lanka has rejected either an international or joint investigation, saying civil war is a domestic issue.
