UN assistance to NE only through Govt. Mahishini

4 August 2015 03:39 pm Views - 5198

The government today said that if any project is being done by the United Nations as assistance for the resettled people in Northern Province, it would be done through the Ministry of Resettlement of the central government not through the Northern Provincial Council.

Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Mahishini Colonne said this while commenting on a statement by UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric at a UN briefing that United Nations was exploring provision of technical and financial assistance including the support to the Northern Province on a request made by the Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneshwaran.

“There are no major projects except one where only immediate assistance for the resettled people is provided by the United Nations. According to the normal procedure, it will be done through the Ministry of Resettlement. They do not directly deal with the provincial councils,”Ms. Colonne said.

UN spokesman Dujarric had said it was considering the practicality of a broad package of technical and financial assistance including the support to the Northern Province to bolster citizen confidence in the peace process.

Responding to a question posed by a journalist, he had said that UN would support to advance the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka by resettlement of internally displaced persons, strengthening human rights mechanism, and ending impunity.(Piyumi Fonseka)