Colombo agrees to U.N. panel visit

• The Sri Lankan government on Monday said it had no objection to the U.N. Secretary-General's experts panel visiting the country to depose before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
• The panel, to advise the Secretary-General on accountability issues arising from the war against the LTTE, has been a bone of contention between the U.N. and Colombo for several months. When Ban Ki-moon appointed the panel, Colombo had voiced serious concerns on the ground that it impinged on the nation's sovereignty. The latest stance is a clear sign that U.N. has succeeded in persuading Colombo that the panel is not aimed at undermining the country's efforts in the post-conflict scenario.