Japan vehemently denies aid cuts

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a media release yesterday said that Japan has not cut any aid to Sri Lanka and vehemently denied certain newspaper reports in this regard published last week.

In a telephone conversation with Foreign Secretary, Dr. Palitha Kohona, Ambassador Yasushi Akashi, the Japanese peace envoy, vehemently denied that Japan was reconsidering its aid policy, vis-a-vis, Sri Lanka.

He confirmed that the aid policy remained unchanged.

Japan was very encouraged by the APRC proposals and was looking towards further developments.

Akashi said that he remained convinced of the assurances given by President Mahinda Rajapaksa with regard to Sri Lanka's approach to the Peace Process.

He dismissed the reports in some newspapers as a misrepresentation of what he said at the press conference.