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The Gross National Happiness Commission is on the case...

United Nations (PTI): In the aftermath of its historic transition to a democratic constitutional monarchy, Bhutan on Friday informed the United Nations that the government was committed to not only improve the status of women, but also ensure that they have equal status in the society.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has offered support to Sri Lanka's humanitarian efforts as it recovers from its war with Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, the emergency session resolution did not mention granting UN aid agencies full access to the 300,000 displaced people in army-run camps.

Sri Lanka's government has relaxed restrictions on motor vehicles in the country's largest refugee camp that had hampered aid distribution, though the needs of people there remain acute, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently visited the Manik Farm refugee camp, where some 220,000 people displaced by the fighting between Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces in northeastern Sri Lanka have been relocated.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has evacuated 14,000 sick and wounded people and their families from the Sri Lankan war zone since February, said it still did not have full access to its military-run camps for displaced people.

ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger cited huge needs for aid and medical care for those sheltering in facilities such Manik Farm, which holds about 210,000 people.

It is "still not clear" whether Sri Lanka will allow aid workers to reach people needy help, Kellenberger said. "We are in discussions with them," he told a news conference in Geneva.

In her opening speech to the UNHRC's emergency summit in Geneva, Ms Pillay said there were "strong reasons to believe that both sides have grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians".

She said an "independent and credible international investigation" should be carried out to establish "the occurrence, nature and scale of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as specific responsibilities".

If a compromise is not found, Sri Lanka's draft resolution would be submitted for adoption by the Council since it was tabled before the Swiss version.

The division sets the stage for a session today that will test the very purpose of the Human Rights Council. Israel, which had an investigation into its Gaza offensive forced on to it by the Council, is furious at the prospect of Sri Lanka escaping the same fate.

President Rajapaksa and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed a series of areas in which the United Nations will assist the ongoing efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka in addressing the future challenges and opportunities.

Assistance must be “according to the wishes of the people of Sri Lanka,” Basil Rajapaksa, senior presidential adviser, said, according to the government’s Web site. “We don’t want ‘monitors,’ we need partners...”

“The international community must understand that it is we, the people of this country, who had to endure this problem” of terrorism, Basil Rajapaksa said in an interview. “There is nobody else who understands the repercussions and the sufferings.”