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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left for an official visit to India yesterday. While in India he is scheduled to meet the Indian President K. R. Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi and will also hold talks with several senior ministers of the Central Government.

Accortding to a news release from The Prime Minister's office the two Prime Ministers will exchange views on the expansion of the existing Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, and it is expected to make a number of vital decisions in respect of trade between the two countries. It is expected to finalise the leasing of Trincomalee oil tanks to an Indian company during this tour.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando will represent UNP leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the next meeting of the International Democratic Union (IDU) to be held in Washington DC next week. US President George W. Bush and several other world leaders are due to attend this meeting.

The IDU is a working association of over 80 political parties of the centre and center right of over 60 countries.

While in the US, Foreign Minister Fernando will brief the US leaders on the present state of the peace process.

He will also have bilateral discussions with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior US officials.

He is due to call on United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, while in New York.

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