Below is a letter I received from the Rt Hon Des Browne MP, regarding is recent trip to the United Nations in his position as Special Envoy to Sri Lanka.

Dear Members of Parliament,

I thought that I would write to you again following my recent trip to the UN on 20 April to update you on my activities as the PM’s Special Envoy for Sri Lanka. The purpose of the visit was to urge member states to remain focused on Sri Lanka and to explore what more the UN might be able to achieve on the humanitarian front.

As you will all be aware from reports in the media and elsewhere, the situation in Sri Lanka continues to cause concern not just for the UK Government but, increasingly, for the international community.  The Sri Lankan military have maintained their advance into the No Fire Zone and, although large numbers of civilians have been able to escape, there are reports of large numbers of civilian casualties and deteriorating conditions for those remaining in LTTE held territory.   I should stress that it is extremely difficult to ascertain exactly what is happening on the ground due to the reluctance of the Government of Sri Lanka to allow journalists and international monitors into the area.

The Prime Minister is taking a close personal interest in what is happening in Sri Lanka and telephoned President Rajapakse on 22 April to make clear our concerns.  The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have also spoken to their counterparts over the past few days, and I know that they are encouraging the EU and others to take a strong line in urging the Government of Sri Lanka to call a new, longer pause, and the LTTE to release civilians. The UN has offered to assist with an evacuation of civilians. It is vital that both parties live up to their obligations under international humanitarian law and do everything possible to protect civilians.

My own trip to the UN in New York was part of the effort to encourage the international community to voice their concerns over what is happening in Sri Lanka and to encourage all parties to the conflict to permit the UN and international aid agencies to carry out, unhindered, the humanitarian relief effort needed for the civilians who have managed to escape the conflict.  In addition, for any hope of long term peace and stability in Sri Lanka there will need to be a process of political reconciliation, and here again the UN and international community could have a role to play.

In New York I was able to meet members of the Secretary-General’s staff, senior figures in the political and humanitarian sides of the UN, representatives of the Security Council, including the US, France, China, and Mexico (who have the Presidency of the Council) and others.  I was struck by their willingness for the UN to stay engaged and I encouraged them to agree to an early briefing from Vijay Nambiar, Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General on his return from Sri Lanka.  This did, in fact, take place on 22 April.  I welcomed inclusion in the Secretary General’s statement that issued on 20 April his concerns over specific humanitarian issues. I am including a copy with this letter.

I was also able to meet representatives of Oxfam International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children and Christian Children’s Fund, all of whom have a presence on the ground in Sri Lanka.  They were keen that we should continue to ask the Government of Sri Lanka for humanitarian access to the civilians fleeing the conflict area.  I agreed, but said that the LTTE also had a responsibility to allow the civilians under their control to leave unhindered.  The Tamil diaspora has a key role to play here.

Since my visit to the UN the international community is taking a higher profile on Sri Lanka.  There is ongoing activity at the UN, the EU Presidency has issued a statement, and the UK Government is discussing with others what more we can do both collectively and individually.  The focus should remain on the humanitarian situation and the commitments already made by the Government of Sri Lanka to the UN; international monitoring of the situation, a transparent registration process for civilians fleeing the conflict area, access to the screening centres for international humanitarian agencies, and the resettlement of IDPs to their place of origin.  Above all, the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE should do everything possible to avoid further loss of life and allow civilians to escape to safety.

At the end of my trip to New York I issued a press statement which can be found at:

www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=PressS&id=16673315

Des Browne MP

Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Sri Lanka

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