UN chief calls for Sri Lankan unity

Hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting are living in the Manik Farm camp [AF The UN secretary-general has called on Sri Lanka's leaders to seek reconciliation with the country's ethnic Tamils after the end of it 26-year conflict with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Ban Ki-moon made the remarks on Saturday before visiting the largest camp for civilians displaced by the recent conflict in the northeast of the island. "Now that the long decades of conflict are over, it is time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards to ethnic and religious identity," Ban said. Later, Ban held talks with Mahinda Rajapakse, the president, and Rohitha Bogollagama, the foreign minister. "The UN must be given immediate unhindered access to the camps, the overcrowding must end and there should be special programmes for pregnant mothers and children," Ban said after meeting Rajapakse in the central town of Kandy. By (MR.KAKAR)