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| Sunday, 20 February 2005 |
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Presidents Bush Snr and Clinton arrive today by a Staff Correspondent Former US President George Bush Snr. and Bill Clinton arrive this afternoon on a historic visit to assess first hand the reconstruction program of tsunami affected areas. The massive rebuilding effort initiated by Government is to take off on March 1. It marshals all the financial, material and human resources generously committed by foreign and local donors. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has announced the official launch of the development program and has appealed to all to rally round the Government to implement the program speedily. The visit of Presidents Bush and Clinton highlights the goodwill that already underlines US-Lanka relations. The duo will be accompanied by 32 State Department officials. Presidents Bush and Clinton were appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the campaign to raise funds in the US for survivors of the disaster that struck Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The duo will touch down in Sri Lanka having toured Thailand and Indonesia. As in Sri Lanka rebuilding homes and hotels, means of livelihood such as destroyed fishing boats has already got underway in the other disaster hit countries. The ex-Presidents' visit is expected to give an added filip to the tempo of spontaneous commitments made by private donors to the affected people. Sri Lanka won international commendation for the speedy action taken by volunteer individuals and small groups of concerned people who helped out with their own belongings and food supplies to alleviate the misery of the surviving tsunami victims. Among these victims were foreign tourists who were lavish in their praises for the ordinary people who helped them out on that fateful day before any form of organised salvage operation was set up by the authorities. They have now turned ambassadors of goodwill on their return to their countries. Presidents Bush and Clinton will witness the quick restoration of road and rail services and telecommunication facilities in a country that had never experienced a calamity of this magnitude ever in its history. They in turn will carry away their impressions of the on-going program of reconstruction. They arrive this afternoon by special plane from Aceh in Indonesia where they met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In Colombo, President Kumaratunga will host the visiting emissaries to a banquet tonight. Tomorrow, Monday the two former Presidents are due to tour tsunami affected areas in Matara and Weligama. They leave on the last lap of their tour to Maldives late on Monday. This is the first time ever that former US Presidents have set foot in Sri Lanka.
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