GL sent to Africa to prevent GL-Mahinda clash

The President has sent External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris to Africa on an urgent visit in order to prevent the clash between Peiris and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in Geneva where they traveled to attend the UN Human Rights Council sessions, sources from the External Affairs Ministry said.

Peiris is disgruntled that the President had appointed Samarasinghe as his special envoy for the sessions and the special acceptance received by him in Geneva as the special envoy. We previously reported that the Sri Lankan delegation and the staff at the Sri Lankan embassy in Geneva were split due to this reason.

Peiris had called the President last Wednesday evening and complained that Samarasinghe had sidelined him and that he was issuing statements without his consultation. Peiris has also said that Samarasinghe had not given him a copy of his speech to be delivered at the sessions.

Angered after hearing the Minister’s complaint, the President has said, “Mr. Minister, if you are unable to handle our people, how can you get the other countries to vote for us. Please stop troubling me and start working together.”

“I told you not to take Kshenuka. Now she and Thamra are at loggerheads. You also create unwanted problems,” the President has said before disconnecting the line.

Ministers Maithripala Sirisena, Dullas Alahapperuma and Wimal Weerawansa and former External Affairs Minster Rohitha Bogollagama have also been near the President when this telephone conversation had taken place.

The President had then turned to them and said, “That fellow is mad. I think he really has a mental problem. He has become a problem to me.”

The President had said that Peiris during a visit to the US last March before the LLRC report was released had promised the US government that the recommendations would be implemented without consulting the government.

Peiris had afterwards met with the head of the UN Human Rights Council, Navi Pillai with Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva without Samarasinghe.

Peiris had again called the President last Friday and complained about Samarasinghe and Sri Lankan ambassador to Geneva, Thamara Kunanayagam.

An angry President has then shouted at Peiris and asked him to return to Sri Lanka allowing Samarasinghe to carry out his work in Geneva.

Peiris had then called Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and said that he could not return to Sri Lanka straight from Geneva as it would have a negative impact on his office and image. He had asked Weeratunge to get Presidential approval for him to travel to Africa before returning to the country.