Top UN rights official meets with Sri Lankan President

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has held what she termed “very productive” talks with the President of Sri Lanka, where millions of people have been affected by fighting between the Government and rebel forces.

Louise Arbour relayed the international community’s concerns about the situation in the South Asian country and explained how her Office could assist in promoting national human rights protection in the South Asian country, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson told reporters today.

The High Commissioner also “underscored the importance of accurate and independent reporting of the human rights situation on the ground,” the spokesperson said.

Clashes in Sri Lanka between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers have affected 3 million people, including over 500,000 who have fled their homes, according to the UN. Over the past year and a half, some 4,000 people are estimated to have died in the fighting.