Rao here ahead of US posting

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao arrived in Colombo on Friday night on a three-day visit ahead of her retirement from the foreign service on July 31.

She met President Mahinda Rajapaksa over breakfast yesterday.

Officials described the meeting as a "farewell" that the President had wanted to accord her because of the special relationship she shared with the country.

Ms Rao, a 1973-batch IFS officer, had served as High Commissioner and earlier, as First Secretary, in the Indian mission in Sri Lanka.

The meeting was a result of a spontaneous invitation from President Rajapaksa, the Hindu reported.

Rao had briefed the President about her retirement when she had come here last June as part of the troika to hold broad-ranging discussions on rehabilitation and resettlement.

Rao had accepted an invitation to visit Sri Lanka ahead of her retirement, but a series of high-profile visits to New Delhi had meant that her visit was kept in abeyance.

The President's office handed over a formal invitation to her "about five days ago" and this visit was a response to that invitation. Through the day, Rao met Sri Lankan officials and Ministers with whom she shared working relationships when in Sri Lanka.

She will leave today. She will then take up a post-retirement job as Indian Ambassador to the United States.