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STORY: UN / SRI LANKA
TRT: 1.50
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT 2009, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
26 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY
2. Med shot, cameramen
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Sawers, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:
“We believe that those civilians should be allowed to leave. It is clear that it is the LTTE which is preventing them from doing so, and we condemn their actions in that regard. We call on both parties to respect international humanitarian law, to cease use of heavy weapons, and to do everything possible to preserve and protect civilian lives.”
4. Wide shot, United States Ambassador Rosemary Di Carlo approaching the microphone
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Rosemary Di Carlo, United States:
“We’ve had promises but we need to see results. Now we have also joined others in calling for a humanitarian pause, we think its absolutely essential in order to get aid in. We have reports from the UN, from aid agencies about the lack of food, the lack of medicines. It’s a very critical situation so a pause would help certainly.”
6. Cutaway, hands holding pen and mini disk recorder
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Rosemary Di Carlo, United States:
“We condemn the LTTE. You know it is designated by the US government as a terrorist organization and we certainly condemn the fact that they use civilians as human shields, but we asked and called on them, as others have, to lay down their arms, to renounce violence, to negotiate with the government of Sri Lanka. We nevertheless feel that in its actions to address the situation the government of Sri Lanka must pay more attention to protecting the civilian population in this conflict.”
8. Wide shot, cameramen
9. Wide shot, Di Carlo leaving stakeout area
Security Council members were briefed this afternoon on the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka as fears grow concerning the fate its civilian population trapped by fighting between the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and government forces.
British Ambassador John Sawers told journalists while the meeting continued behind closed doors that the Council members believed that the civilians trapped in the fighting should be allowed to leave. He also said that it was clear that it was the LTTE which was preventing them from doing so, “and we condemn their actions in that regard”.
Sawers also called on both parties to respect international humanitarian law, to cease use of heavy weapons, “and to do everything possible to preserve and protect civilian lives.”
United States Ambassador Rosemary Di Carlo told reporters that they needed to see the results from the promises made by the government and that they had also joined others in calling for a humanitarian pause. “It’s a very critical situation so a pause would help certainly,” Di Carlo said.
She also condemned the LTTE, whom the US government lists as a terrorist organization. But she added that in addressing the situation the government of Sri Lanka “must pay more attention to protecting the civilian population in this conflict.”
The humanitarian and security situation for civilians caught up in fighting between government forces and separatist Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka remains precarious.
A United Nations spokesperson said yesterday that shelling was still reported in the so-called ‘no fire zone’ of the Vanni region and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have maintained its campaign of forcible recruitment while confining people to the area.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top UN officials had been calling over recent months on the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to suspend hostilities to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone and allow immediate humanitarian access to them.
