UN Working Group to consider recommendations on Lanka report

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Deputy Secretary-General to convene the group and report to him, a world body spokesman announced in New York last night.

The UN Secretariat has also informed its heads of departments, offices, funds and programmes to name their representatives to the working group in pursuance of the recommendations.

"The Deputy Secretary-General sent a letter to the relevant heads of the UN departments, offices, funds and programmes this week, asking them to nominate representatives to participate in a working group to give careful consideration to the recommendations set out in the Internal Review Panel report on the United Nations actions in Sri Lanka," he said.

The working group is expected to complete its deliberations sometime in the second quarter of next year, with options for action and implementation.

The report released in mid-November highlighted the positive role played by some UN staff on the ground during the final phase of Sri Lanka's military campaign against the LTTE but pointed to a "systemic failure".

The UN's investigation into its own conduct during the last phase of the conflict, said the organisation should in future "be able to meet a much higher standard in fulfilling its protection and humanitarian responsibilities"

The world body's Sri Lanka operations faced criticism over its failure to protect the civilians as they were caught in the cross fire between the LTTE and the army.

Sri Lanka has dismissed reports of civilian deaths as fabricated and took exception to the UN's leaking of the report before it could be officially released.