GUIDANCE FOR 6/5 UNSC BRIEFING ON SRI LANKA

UNCLAS STATE 057899 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PHUM PREL MOPS CE SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR 6/5 UNSC BRIEFING ON SRI LANKA ¶1. The Department Requests that USUN draw on the following points for use during the June 5 informal briefing to the UN Secrity Council on Sri Lanka by the Secretary-General. ¶2. Begin points: Mr. President: -- We would like to thank the Secretary General (and Under Secretary Holmes) for his (their) briefings. The United States commends the Secretary General, senior UN leadership, including Under Secretary Holmes and Mr. Kaelin, and all of the UN staff working tirelessly in Sri Lanka for their efforts on behalf of Sri Lankans impacted by the conflict between the Government and the LTTE. We particularly commend the Secretary General for his personal commitment to addressing the humanitarian needs and human rights of all of the people of Sri Lanka. -- The end of the fighting in Sri Lanka is a welcome and long-awaited development, freeing hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the conflict zone by the LTTE, and freeing all those involved from the horror of combat. The end of the fighting now allows the Government of Sri Lanka to consolidate the peace it has achieved on the battlefield and to embark on a process of national reconciliation that will guarantee the rights of all of its citizens. -- While recognizing that still more needs to be done, we are encouraged that the Sri Lankan government has reaffirmed its commitment to uphold international humanitarian law, to facilitate the provision of international relief, to work to resettle IDPs, and to begin a process of national reconciliation. The Sri Lankan Government publicly acknowledged these commitments on the occasion of the visit of Indian Foreign Minister Menon on May 21, at the conclusion of the Secretary General's visit on May 24, and during the Human Rights Council's special session on May 26. We particularly welcome the Government 's commitment to allow the international community access to those who currently need humanitarian assistance, to safely resettle the bulk of IDPs within six months, and to devote particular attention to the disarmament, rehabilitation, and reintegration of child soldiers. These commitments were given to the Secretary General himself, and we believe that the joint statement issued by him and the Government at the conclusion of the Secretary-General's May 24 trip sets out helpful steps for the Government of Sri Lanka to take in order to help secure peace and stability going forward. -- We have noted some positive steps undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka to allow for provision of food, water, and basic medical supplies to IDPs. We welcome initial steps taken by the Government to replace military oversight of IDP camps with civilian management, and the incremental improvements in cooperation between the Government and humanitarian workers on the ground. -- We remain gravely concerned, however, that the Government of Sri Lanka has not fully met its commitments to uphold international humanitarian standards, particularly with regard to providing humanitarian workers full access to IDPs and to the camps that house them. We again urge the Government to facilitate immediate, full, safe, and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance workers to all persons in need throughout the country. We call on the Government to work hand-in-hand with the UN, ICRC, and non-governmental organizations to ensure that the rights of all IDPs are respected and that they receive assistance, care, and fair treatment in accordance with international law and other international standards. We urge the Government to completely hand over management of the IDP camps to civilian authorities quickly and to allow IDPs freedom of movement as it works toward their permanent resettlement. We urge the Government to make all possible efforts to combat discrimination against persons belonging to ethnic minorities and to ensure equal access for all to education, health, housing, water, and food. -- We believe that continued engagement of the Secretary General with the Government of Sri Lanka remains critical to ensuring that the Government meets its stated commitments and that international assistance supports the goals of addressing humanitarian needs, and fostering peace, reconstruction, reconciliation, and stability. We urge UN leaders to continue to monitor the situation closely, to apprise Security Council Members of progress in achieving the goals the Secretary-General has identified, and to continue to brief the Members as appropriate. CLINTON