GL off to US for bilateral talks

by Manjula Fernando

The External Affairs Minister Prof.G.L.Peiris left for the United States last night to hold bilateral talks with his counterpart, Hillary Clinton in Washington.

The Minister is also scheduled for a briefing with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York early next week before he will meet US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

A spokesperson said the Minister was scheduled to meet the UN Secretary General on Monday (24) and Clinton on Friday (28). He is to hold several other meetings in between, with number of US senators and a couple of other dignitaries.Prof.Peiris is expected to discuss, among others, the moves made for political reconciliation, the situation with regard to the IDPs and the post conflict developments in Sri Lanka.

He is expected to take up the issue of the fresh war crimes charges levelled against Sri Lanka by Human Rights Watch and its bid to press the Secretary General to initiate an international investigation on war crimes on Sri Lanka.