UN panel chairperson accused of being arrogant, racist
for trying to bar him
April 25, 2012, 9:34
pm, The Island
by Ravi Ladduwahetti
The attempt by
Chairperson of the UN Special Advisory Panel on Peace Keeping Operations Louise
Frechette early this year to bar Sri Lanka’s deputy permanent representative
Major General Shavendra Silva from the panel has been roundly condemned by the
Asia-Pacific group of countries this week in strongest possible terms.
According to a top
source in New York the 54 countries in the group who nominated Gen. Silva to
the panel condemned her action as high handed, arrogant and racist when they
met at the UN on Tuesday.
The Asia-Pacific
Group at its monthly meeting had noted that her action had exceeded her
authority. No chairperson of a panel had the authority to decide who is going
to participate on behalf of Asia-Pacific Group. That was determined by the
Group and not by the Chairperson, he said.
The Group had also
said that her action had directly challenged the dignity of Asia-Pacific and
that of Sri Lanka.
Among the countries
that had spearheaded the countermanding of Frechette had been China, Japan,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, The Island learns.
Ms. Frechette who has
a shady past having been forced to quit the UN in 2005 as its Deputy Secretary
General for her role in the Iraq Oil for Food scandal, on February 22 literally
humiliated Gen. Silva in public by telling him that his participation in the
panel was "inappropriate" and advised him to keep away from all its
"deliberations".
The Independent
Inquiry Committee that probed the Iraq Oil for Food scandal headed by former US
Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker found that she had intervened directly by
phone to bar UN auditors from forwarding their investigations into the scam to
the Security Council.
Gen Silva, however
ignored her and continued to attend panel sittings and she had to shut up and
put up with his participation
This action by former
top Canadian diplomat came in the wake of a chorus of protests over the
inclusion of the former commander of Sri Lanka’s 58 division in the special panel,
especially in view of the questionable findings of the controversial outside
panel appointed by UN Secretary General to advise him on the last phase of the
war against the LTTE
Despite her shady
past Frechette was handpicked by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to chair the
special committee.
The Special Advisory
Panel was constituted to consider rates of reimbursement to troop contributing
countries and other related issues such as maintaining peace keeping
missions.It has ten members of which five are nominated by the UN
secretary-general and five nominated by regional groups.
Regional nominees to
the Special panel were made through recommendations by respective groups of
countries representing different regions. Shavendra Silva was appointed to the
panel as the representative of the Asia – Pacific regional group.
Shavendra Silva who
was a brigadier when the war ended was subsequently promoted as Major –General
because of his exceptional performance in the battle field. He was later
appointed deputy permanent representative to Sri Lanka’s UN mission in New York
and given ambassadorial rank.
When so-called human
rights organizations beholden to western interests raised the issue the UN
secretariat said it could do nothing about Silva’s appointment as it had been
decided by member countries.
When representations
were made to Ban Ki Moon the Secy –Gen explained that the choice was not his
and that the country group had appointed him.
In a not so
surprising move UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navaneetham Pillai wrote
to Ban Ki Moon officially expressing concerns about Shavendra Silva’s
appointment.
Louise Frechette also
issued a press release in this regard. It said: "In its Resolution 65/289,
the General Assembly asked the Secretary-General to establish a Senior Advisory
Group (SAG) to consider rates of reimbursement to troop contributing countries
and other related issues.
"Following
careful consideration and consultation with other SAG members, the Chair,
Louise Fréchette, has advised Major General Shavendra Silva of Sri Lanka, that
his participation is not appropriate or helpful for the purposes of this Group.
He will not participate in its deliberations."
Late in the afternoon
of February 23, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona too has
gone on record stating, that "Frechette is outside her mandate and has no
authority" to bar Silva.
