Deputy Foreign Minister slams former Foreign Minister

Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith Perera accused former Foreign Minister, Professor G.L Peiris of telling lies with regards to a leaked UN report on the investigations over the war.

Perera insisted that there was no such report and if there was then Professor G.L Peiris should make it public instead of making unsubstantiated claims.

?We do not know how Professor G.L Peiris got such a report and from where he got it. If he has such a report he must release it to the media. This is what you call gossip. He should act with more responsibility. We urge Professor G.L Peiris not to attempt to deceive the public during a time an election is at hand,? the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

Peiris had said on Saturday that he suspects the proposed domestic investigation on the war will have an international involvement.

Professor G.L Peiris said that a leaked UN report makes clear that the international community will be directly involved in the investigations.

He also raised concerns over a part of the leaked report which states that the implementing agencies will be the Sri Lankan Government and the Northern Provincial Council.

?How can the Northern Provincial Council be an implementing agency. That is not acceptable. The Northern Provincial Council had raised allegations on genocide and war crimes and those very people have now been given the right to implement the investigations process,? he had said.

Professor G.L Peiris claimed that the entire investigations process on the war will have the involvement of the Tamil diaspora, the Tamil National Alliance and some international agencies with a hidden agenda. (Colombo Gazette)