UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is considering whether to establish a group of experts to help Sri Lanka address allegations of human rights abuses during the final offensive against the Tamil rebels and its aftermath, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters here on Thursday.

    "The secretary-general has informed the government of Sri Lanka that he is considering the appointment of a commission of experts to advise him further and to assist the government in taking measures to address possible violations of international human rights and humanitarian law," Nesirky said. "The establishment of such a commission is receiving detailed consideration in the secretariat."

    In May, President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in a joint statement that his government would investigate allegations of human rights violations, undertake a comprehensive accountability process, and take measures to address grievances of the victims of the conflict.

    Colombo has also said that by the end of January 2010, it would resettle Tamils uprooted from their homes in the north and initiate a reconciliation process between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority.

    Some 300,000 Tamils fled their homes in the country's north during the government's final offensive last year, in which more than 7,000 civilians were killed, according to UN reports.

    However, hundreds of thousands of Tamils still reportedly languish outside the UN-run detention camps, waiting for the reconstruction process.

    On Wednesday, Ban told reporters that he hoped the government would keep its promise.

    Nesirky emphasized that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has repeatedly called for a full, broad, and impartial investigation into allegations of violations of human rights and international law by all sides that occurred during the civil war in Sri Lanka.

    After a nearly-25-year bloody civil war, the government crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). With a presidential election on the horizon, candidates, including incumbent President Rajapaksa, are reportedly seeking ways to woo Tamil votes.

    In a separate development on Thursday, UN human rights investigator Philip Alston released a report verifying the authenticity of a video, which showed the extra-judicial killings of two Tamil men. Alston has called on the Sri Lankan government to facilitate an independent and impartial investigation, preferably with help from the United Nations.

    Ban has said he's ready to help the government of Sri Lanka confront impunity and bring perpetrators of such violations to justice.