UNESCO withdraws patronage to RSF

UNESCO has withdrawn its patronage of the Online Free Expression Day, organized by the non-governmental organization, Reporters Sans frontiers (RSF).

UNESCO reiterates its support for freedom of expression on the internet but felt compelled to withdraw patronage following the publication of information by RSF which did not follow the arrangements agreed upon between the two organizations concerning the event, said a press release issued by the UNESCO Secretariat in Paris on Wednesday(12)

The statement said that UNESCO could not endorse material published by RSF concerning a number of its Member States. Further, it objected to the use of UNESCO's logo along with the above material.

Political observers say that, interestingly, the RSF blacklist did not include a single Western country, and that its fire was concentrated on the so-called Third World.

RSF has several times published wrong information about Sri Lanka in a bid to tarnish its image.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080314_03

Lanka asks UNESCO to avoid making comments on internal matters

Sri Lanka has categorically stated that UNESCO should not express its views on the subjects where it neither has the competence nor the mandate.

In a letter to Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, the government said the conflict in Sri Lanka was a complex political issue on which UNESCO should refrain from making comments.

Though UNESCO had made a contribution in inter-sectoral activities in the various domains of the UN aimed at countering terrorism, this did not give a ''carte blanche'' to the Director General to comment on specific situations of the member states, UNI reported here quoting official sources.

The drawing of parity between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the context of a domestic peace process would not fall within UNESCO's contribution to the Counter Terrorism Implementational Task Force.

Read more,
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-235/0712242669185559.htm

Lankans in Paris protest over UNESCO DG’s statement

A large number of Sri Lankans in France held a demonstration opposite the UNESCO headquarters in Paris last afternoon to protest against the statement made by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura condemning the air strike on the LTTE radio station, Voice of Tigers (VoT).

Coordinator of the protest, Manel Gunawardane of the French Committee of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) handed over a letter addressed to Matsuura demanding immediate retraction of his statement.

The letter was accepted by the Deputy Security Chief of UNESCO.

Braving the bitter winter cold winds, many Sri Lankans in Paris - Sinhalese and Tamils -continued the two hour long protest until the employees left the UNESCO headquarters late afternoon.

The “UNESCO DG has no business in interfering in our legitimate right to fight terrorism, Gunawardane said.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/21/news02.asp