Vijay Nambiar, Under-Secretary-General of the UN due to arrive today in Colombo

Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Editor – Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune

Colombo, 16 May, (Asiantribune.com): Vijay Nambiar, the Vijay Nambiarspecial envoy of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is due in Colombo today for discussions with the Sri Lanka Government.

Vijay Nambiar is a veteran Indian diplomat and the Chef de Cabinet (Chief of Staff) under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon since 1 January 2007. He holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General and is a member of the Secretary General's Senior Management Team.

The office of the Spokesman to the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon announced Friday 15 that the purpose of his visit to Sri Lanka was to push forward the Secretary-General’s agenda, which involved asking for restraint, and negotiations to allow the endangered civilians to leave the conflict zone.

Mr. Nambiar is expected to meet with top government officials after he arrives Saturday and push for ways "to secure the safety of the 50,000 to 100,000 civilians remaining inside the combat zone," U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent his chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, to Sri Lanka for a second time to try to bring the conflict to a peaceful conclusion.

Government officials say they have cornered the Tamil Tiger rebels in a tiny coastal strip and stand poised to end this island nation's thirty year old civil war very soon.

Nearly 11,000 civilians have waded across a lagoon - Nandi Kadal , overnight and broke out of LTTE control in the New Safety Zone, while thousands more are waiting to flee, Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said Friday. The rebels fired on those leaving, killing four and wounding 14 others, he said.

About 200,000 civilians have already escaped the war zone in recent months and are being held in heavily crowded displacement camps in the North.

- Asian Tribune -