AMN /

The United Nations’ human rights chief today began discussions with the Sri Lankan government in Colombo over its probe into allegations of atrocities committed during the civil war with the Tamil Tigers amid an uncertainty over the involvement of foreign judges in the investigations.

The four-day visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein is significant following a UNHRC resolution last October mandating an investigation into the alleged rights abuses during Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict that ended in 2009.

Hussein, on his first visit to Sri Lanka after succeeding Navi Pillay as UN rights chief, hoped for “constructive discussions” with President Maithripala Sirisena.