Sri Lankan FM to Meet US Secretary of StateSri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar who left for the United States on Tuesday is due to meet US Secretary of State Collin Powell and other senior officials of the Bush administration in Washington during his visit, the state-run Daily News said on Thursday.The main focus of talks between the two sides will be the current peace moves between Sri Lankan government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels with Norwegian facilitation. Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim is in Colombo for meetings with diplomats including Canadian High Commissioner Ruth Archibald who visited Wanni, the rebel headquarters in the north of the country earlier this week. He has held talks with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Foreign Minister Kadirgamar as well as opposition leader Ranil Wickremashinghe. During her visit to the north, Canadian High Commissioner Ruth Archibald held talks with Tamil rebel political leader Thamil Chelvam and other rebel representatives and conveyed Canada's concern for an early settlement of the ethnic conflict. In a press release the Canadian High Commission stated that the government of Canada believes the conflict can be brought to an end through a political settlement. Canada is fully supportive of efforts by Norwegian government to encourage peace process in the war-torn country. |
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