HOW IS THAT A TAIL CAN WAG THE DOG-VOTES AND MONEY

LTTE rump hires ex-UN bigwig

Canadian consensus for int’l war crimes probe targeting GoSL

February 14, 2014, 12:00 pm 

Diaspora representatives welcome Halliday on his arrival in Canada

By Shamindra Ferdinando

One time UN Assistant Secretary General Denis J. Halliday is now in Canada to convince major political parties to support US-UK call for an international war crimes investigation targeting Sri Lanka at the forthcoming 25th session of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council.

Well informed sources told The Island that Halliday would meet influential Canadian lawmakers during the next two weeks on behalf of the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) widely believed to be the successor to the World Tamil Movement (WTM). The Canadian government listed the WTM as a terrorist organisation in June 2008.

Sources said that Halliday would also meet Canadian officials as well Canada based top representatives of NCCT. External Affairs Ministry sources told The Island that GoSL was concerned about the latest development.

Halliday quit the UN in 1998 following a 34-year career over serious differences regarding the global body’s policy towards Iraq.

Sources based in Canada said that the former UN bigwig was seeking a consensus among Canadian political parties regarding the move at the UNHRC. Although the ruling Conservative party had assured that it would co-sponsor the US-UK resolution, the NCCT was of the opinion that all Canadian parties should throw their weight behind the government on the issue.