Sri Lanka reacted with fury over Britain’s appointment of a special envoy to the country, labelling the appointment as ‘tantamount to an intrusion into Sri Lanka's internal affairs’ and warning of ‘major repercussions’ for relations with Britain.
Sri Lanka’s reaction followed Downing Street’s announcement of former defence scretary Des Browne as Britain’s special envoy to Sri Lanka to focus on "the immediate humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka and the government of Sri Lanka's work to set out a political solution to bring about a lasting end to the conflict".
"As special envoy, he will work closely with the Sri Lankan government, leaders from all communities in Sri Lanka, international agencies and the wider international community." a statement released by Downing Street on Thursday, February 12, said.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama reacted to the British move by calling it "a disrespectful intrusion" and vented his fury saying Des Browne's appointment wouldn't be accepted by Colombo.
"It is tantamount to an intrusion into Sri Lanka's internal affairs and is disrespectful to the country's statehood," the minister said, warning "there could be major repercussions" for relations with the UK.
An embarrassed British Foreign Office however fought off objections from Sri Lanka stating that the appointment of Des Browne wasn't made unilaterally and insisted discussions with the Sri Lankan were ongoing.
"The Foreign Secretary (David Miliband) spoke this morning to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama," a Foreign Office spokesman said.
"He explained the reasons the United Kingdom was proposing a special envoy and that this was not a unilateral decision.”
But the Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama rejected claims of ongoing discussions saying "There is no further discussion with London on the matter."
Des Browne's new job has also brought criticism from the political opposition in Britain, reported the BBC.
Speaking for the Conservatives, Liam Fox, said it was a further example of Gordon Brown's incompetence as prime minister.
"Having presided over calamitous damage to our economy," said Mr Fox told the BBC, "he is now making a complete mess of relations with friendly countries overseas."
The Liberal Democrats criticised Gordon Brown for not taking tougher action on Sri Lanka, by seeking a ceasefire in through diplomatic channels at the United Nations, reported the BBC.
The stand-off comes amid mounting tension between Sri Lanka and the international community over the impact of the government's war against the LTTE.
Anxious to win its decades-long conflict against the LTTE in the northeast of the country, the Sri Lankan state has brushed aside concerns over the humanitarian impact of its escalating battles.
