UN political chief to visit Sri Lanka

UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman will visit Sri Lanka this week as planned while the country is in a state of emergency, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

Feltman will meet with a wide range of Sri Lankan leaders, including the president, the prime minister and other senior officials, political parties and civil society groups, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, at a daily news briefing.

The visit, scheduled for March 9-11, was planned before the state of emergency was imposed, said Dujarric, adding that "the visit is part of ongoing UN engagement with Sri Lanka."

"We are obviously concerned over reports of the ongoing communal violence and we welcome the government's commitment to addressing the tensions and achieve reconciliation," he said, noting that "we urge all Sri Lankans to resolve their difference through dialogue."

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday signed the official gazette notification declaring a week-long nationwide state of emergency in the wake of violent clashes reported from several parts of the country.

Earlier last week, at least five people were injured when mobs clashed in Ampara in eastern Sri Lanka which had been triggered by communal violence.

Sirisena vowed to take "stern action" against anyone who spreads violence and rumors with the intention of provoking communal violence, at a time when the government was taking measures to establish political stability, peace among communities and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Enditem