Sri Lanka has rejected UK’s special envoy … they are calling it a “disrepectful intrusion” into their internal affairs … good show Sri Lanka
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Sri Lanka rejects UK’s new envoy
Sri Lanka has rejected the British PM’s nomination of a former defence secretary, Des Browne, as his special envoy to the country.
It said the nomination of Mr Browne was “a disrespectful intrusion”.
PM Gordon Brown had said Mr Browne would work closely with the Sri Lankan government and community leaders.
But President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cabinet said the appointment was “unhelpful” and was made without consulting them.
A foreign ministry statement said the appointment was tantamount to an “intrusion of Sri Lanka’s internal affairs”.
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“Further, the cabinet perceived that this would be a hindrance in pursuing a sustainable solution to the conflict in terms of a Sri Lankan agenda,” it said.
Correspondents say that Colombo’s rejection of Mr Browne is an embarrassment for the British government, especially because Sri Lanka has accused the UK - its former colonial power - of “unilaterally” appointing him.
A Downing Street spokesman told the BBC that an ongoing dialogue over Mr Browne’s role was still taking place with Sri Lanka and that it still hoped he could work with all sides to secure a peace agreement and alleviate further suffering.
But Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama warned of “major repercussions” for relations with Britain over his nomination.
“There is no further discussion with London on the matter,” Mr Bogollagama told the AFP news agency.
Media Minister Anura Yapa said the government had voiced its “displeasure” to the British High Commission in Colombo.
“We are not a British colony any more,” the minister said. “We are quite capable of looking after the internally displaced persons.”
‘Influx’
Tens of thousands of civilians are still believed trapped in fighting between the army and Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east.
The defence ministry has said that hundreds more Tamil civilians have fled the war zone.
It says that they crossed the front lines in the district of Mullaitivu, where the army has surrounded the rebels.
The government has accused the rebels of using civilians trapped by the fighting as “human shields” and of preventing them from leaving the area.
The rebels have in turn accused the army of randomly shelling civilian areas including hospitals.
About 50,000 soldiers are pressing the Tamil Tigers into a patch of north-eastern jungle after taking the key areas of Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass and Mullaitivu.
The government has rejected international calls for a ceasefire, demanding the rebels lay down their arms.
The Tigers have said they will not do so until they have a “guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty”. The rebels started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils.](“BBC NEWS | South Asia | Sri Lanka rejects UK's new envoy”)