British investors welcome, says GL
External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris said British investors are
welcome to Sri Lanka.
The Minister who met Foreign Secretary William Hague during his
recent visit to UK discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral
interest.
He briefed his British counterpart on the developments in Sri Lanka.
The Minister also briefed Hague on the progress made with regard to the
resettlement of the displaced, provision of livelihood for the people
and the ongoing focus on infrastructure development. Minister Peiris
thanked the British government for its continued humanitarian assistance
through the Department for International Development.
Commenting that Sri Lanka is moving towards an economic renaissance,
he said that the government is pleased that the private sector has come
forward to assist the government in providing employment opportunities
for the breadwinners of the resettled families. Minister Peiris also
highlighted that the British investors are welcome to invest in the
emerging atmosphere which holds promise for business. He specifically
referred to the boom in the tourism industry.
This is the first foreign ministerial level visit from Sri Lanka to
the UK since the election of the Conservative - Liberal Democratic
coalition government. Referring to the endeavours in arriving at a
political solution, Minister Peiris said that President Mahinda
Rajapaksa remains resolved in bringing a lasting solution to address the
concerns of all parties.
He said that discussions between the Government and the Tamil
political parties, which commenced two months ago, are scheduled to
continue. Briefing Foreign Secretary Hague on the work of the Lessons
Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, Minister Peiris said that the
Commission has made considerable progress and has already made interim
communications to the government most of which have been earmarked for
implementation.
Noticing that the contemporary international order is such that the
countries are allowed to address their own issues without the others
interfering with condescending and judgemental views, Minister Peiris
said that Sri Lanka would appreciate the understanding of her friends
and requires space for the Commission to proceed. He emphasized the need
for the international community to look at the Commission without
prejudice but with a benign presumption.
Minister Peiris at his meeting with Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox,
discussed the whole spectrum of developments taking place in Sri Lanka,
with particular reference to the resettlement of internally displaced
persons and the restoration of livelihood. |
