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| Tuesday, 1 July 2003 |
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Top US Congressional delegation to promote bilateral trade By Chamitha Kuruppu A top visiting US Congressional delegation yesterday pledged their support to promote trade and bilateral opportunities between USA and Sri Lanka. The delegation comprising Congressmen Jerry Weller and Scott Garret, staff member Alan Tennile and ST & R Vice President Nicole Bevins was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday evening. Congressman Jerry Weller pledged to continue support given to Sri Lanka to promote trade activities at a meeting held with the apparel industry and the visiting US congressional delegation. The meeting was held in order to highlight the potential of promoting special bilateral agreements between the two countries. Weller who is serving his fifth term representing the 11th District Illinois was first elected to Congress in 1994. He said that the 'special relationship' between the United States and Sri Lanka runs back to a long history and he is proud of the fact that both countries are committed to freedom and democracy. He said that the US will extend support to expand trade between the two countries Weller and added that there is an opportunity for greater trade between US and Sri Lanka. US as one of the major customers of Sri Lanka appreciates competition and does not want to depend on one country, the Congressman said. He said that the US looks forward to do more business with Sri Lanka. The apparel industry considered as one of the important contributors to the country's economy should continue to grow and generate more employment, he said. However, the top congressman said that the country needs stability in all forms in order to attract more investors and therefore continuation of the peace process is vital. Sri Lanka is a country, which has numerous advantages due to its physical location, and I believe that Sri Lanka can play the role of Singapore and Hongkong in the near future. That is why FTAs are very important to the country Weller said. The Ambassador for Sri Lanka in USA Devinda Subasinghe said the meeting that this was one of the first US Congressional delegations to visit Sri Lanka in recent times. |
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