Sri Lanka to discuss human rights concerns with UN chief

Sri Lanka is to have talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon next week over concerns of human rights allegations committed during the final stages of the civil war in the country, a spokesman said Saturday. Sri Lanka's Minister for Human Rights Mahinda Samarsinghe will also meet representatives from other UN member states and discuss concerns over the country during his visit to New York next week, a spokesman for the minister said. Samarasinghe is scheduled to meet the UN chief during the meetings of the Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly currently being held in New York. The minister will brief Ban Ki-moon and several British parliamentarians on the current progress achieved in human rights in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Ban Ki-moon in September and they held discussions on several key issues which included the country's human rights situation. During the meeting, the UN chief stressed the need for a " credible national accountability process" over actions in the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been facing repeated criticism from international human rights organizations which have called for an independent international probe against war crimes allegedly committed during the final stages of Sri Lanka's 30 year civil conflict.