Bid to strengthen North-South ties:

Significant meeting between Matara and Jaffna Mayors

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Mayor of Matara Upul Nishantha called on the Mayor elect Jaffna Mrs. Yogeswari Patkunaraja in Jaffna on Friday. Both Mayors described the meeting as significant saying the Southern tip of the island met the Northern tip for the first time in several years.

The Mayor of Matara was given a rousing reception by the new Mayor of Jaffna elect and the members of the Municipal Council at the Jaffna Municipal Council office.

Mayor of Matara Upul Nishantha is the first Mayor from Southern Sri Lanka to visit Jaffna, following the recently held local government polls in the region.

The Mayor of Matara told the reception accorded to him in Jaffna that he had brought the goodwill of the people of the South from the Southern tip of the island, the Devundera Point.

He said that the development activities in the war-torn North should be expedited to rebuild the region to its pristine glory. "The Southerners are looking forward to provide assistance in re-construction activities in the North. Our expectation is to see that people in the North lead a peaceful and prosperous life", he said.

Patkunaraja who thanked the Matara Mayor for his visit to Jaffna said that even the people of Jaffna were looking forward to establish good relations with the South and she looked forward to more interaction between the North and South.

The Mayor of Matara also visited the Nallur Kanthaswamy temple and various other key places in the peninsula.