Geneva - A senior United Nations official criticized the Human Rights Council Tuesday, saying the decision not to send a team to investigate war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka was worrying.

"What happened at the Human Rights Council last week is more than troubling," said Marie Heuze, the spokeswoman for the UN in Geneva.

"It is not an indictment to send a team to investigate," Heuze said, as the council's June regular session got underway.

The UN council, a 47-member body, held a special session last week, after the government in Colombo declared victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels.

A resolution tabled by Sri Lanka was adopted at the special session, commending the government' human rights record while allowing for less than full access for aid workers to refugee camps.

Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka, told the council Tuesday he was "humbled" by the support his country has received from the forum.

Navi Pillay, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, had asked at the session's start for an impartial investigation into possible abuses.

The Sri Lankan minister rejected the term "bloodbath" that senior UN officials had used to describe the government's battle against the rebels.

The resolution had 29 votes in favour, 12 against and six countries abstained. It was blasted by groups such as Amnesty International which said over a quarter million displaced people were being held in government "internment" camps.

"Resettlement of the displaced is our primary obligation," Samarasinghe said, calling for international support.

He added that the government had "taken a principled stand to eschew the use of heavy weapons" against a densely populated civilian area, denying accusations made by rights groups.

The rebels, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, were said to have used civilians as human shield while preventing them from escaping the conflict zone.

UN officials said it was impossible to report an accurate casualty figure as they did not have access to the conflict zone. They estimated at least 7,000 were killed until the end of April while heavy fighting continued into the middle of May.

The council will be in session until June 19. Issues to be raised include freedom of expression, summary executions and the right to health. Also, there will be country specific meetings, including on Haiti and Sudan. (dpa)