UN chief meets Sri Lankan special envoy

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday met with Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Plantation Industries and Special Envoy of the President of Sri Lanka on Human Rights.

During their meeting at the UN Headquarters, Ban and Samarasinghe exchanged views on the post-conflict situation in Sri Lanka, said a UN press release.

The secretary-general noted the Sri Lankan government's latest efforts on accountability as well as the steady progress on resettlement issues.

He also emphasized the need to find a political solution without further delay to the underlying factors of the past conflict.

The two also discussed cooperation between the government of Sri Lanka and the United Nations in related areas and beyond, including on efforts to combat climate change.

The UN chief and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a joint statement in May 2009, when Ban visited the South Asian nation shortly after the end of a long-running civil war.