Any testimony given by former Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim before any international inquiry panel on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka will not hold any water as Solheim was completely out of the equation during the final phase of war, a senior government spokesperson told 'Asian Mirror'. 

He said Solheim was not aware of what happened during the final phase of Eelam war in Sri Lanka as he was not part of any "peace deal" in 2009. 

"It was under the UNP government that Solheim played a key role in the so called peace process. When the Sri Lankan government, under President Mahinda Rajapaksa's watch, embarked on the final stage of war, Solheim had no role to play in Sri Lanka. He never had access to crucial information nor did he visit Sri Lanka. Therefore, the Sri Lankan government finds Eric Solheim's remarks laughable," said the government spokesman who is also a senior minister in the cabinet. He spoke to 'Asian Mirror' on the grounds of anonymity as such responses should 'officially' come only from the External Affairs Ministry.

"Probably Solheim can give evidence about the failed peace process in Sri Lanka friom 2002 to 2004 - which Norwegians brokered. But he has nothing to do with war crimes allegations against Sri Lanka," he added.

"If the so called international inquiry panel takes Eric Solheim's statement seriously, that alone shows the futility of their investigations. It demonstrates that they are not ready to conduct a realistic study on what really happened in Sri Lanka," the Minister said. 

Former Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim, speaking to Sri Lankan media, said a few days ago that he was willing to testify before any international war crimes inquiry panel on Sri Lanka.