UN chief expresses concern over recent developments in Sri Lanka

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretar-General Ban Ki- moon has expressed his concerns about recent developments in Sri Lanka to the leader of the South Asian country, Ban's press offices said in a statement on Wednesday.

The secretary-general spoke by telephone on Tuesday night with President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka, and expressed his concern about recent developments in Sri Lanka, where a defeated presidential candidate has been arrested and Parliament dissolved,

"The secretary-general urged President Rajapaksa to keep his commitment, as agreed in the joint statement, to ensure concrete proposals for a political solution of issues with the Tamil community in the North and to ensure full accountability for any crimes against international humanitarian law or abuses of human rights," the statement said.

"He took note of the progress in returning displaced persons to their places of origin, but added that more needs to be done in this regard," it noted.

Ban urged the president to respect due process of law regarding the case of General Sarath Fonseka, the former army chief and runner-up in recent presidential elections.

Ban called on the government in Colombo to guarantee the personal safety of Fonseka, who was arrested on Monday for alleged "military offences." Fonseka won about 40 per cent of the overall vote in the presidential race on January 27.

Ban also announced plans to dispatch his top political official to the island nation for further dialogue.

"The secretary-general said that he looks forward to continuing his dialogue, both personally and through his senior officials," the statement said. "It was agreed that the secretary-general would send the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, to Sri Lanka soon after the presidential inauguration later this month."