I fail to understand why Sri Lankan government stopped Annan from visiting the areas under LTTE’s control. I don’t think that he would have been able to deliver much or make any promises considering the nature of his mission and at a time when LTTE has lost hundreds of activists and militants from its cadres to the Tsunami. This is nonethless one blow to LTTE that had threatened to restart and resume the civil war and their activities, in case their demands were not met by the Sinhala majority government.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-1-2005_pg4_15
Sri Lanka’s government has stopped visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan from touring tsunami-ravaged areas controlled by its Tamil Tiger rebel foes, despite his requests, officials said on Saturday.
UN officials privately vented their frustration that their itinerary did not include a stop in rebel-held areas in the Indian Ocean Island’s hard-hit north and east, while a government official cited security concerns among others.
“It is a relief visit, not a political one. The secretary general wanted to go, but it just didn’t happen,” said one official on condition of anonymity. The rebels have since accused the government of scrimping on aid and deliberately diverting assistance away from their areas, and the verbal sniping is building up again.
“(Annan) hasn’t gone to Ireland and met with the IRA, he hasn’t gone to Spain and met with Basque (rebels),” a government official told the news agency, again on condition of anonymity. “There doesn’t seem to have been a precedent.