Online edition of Daily News

The Sri Lanka garment industry will not suffer with the abolition of the quota system in 2005 as the German Government has agreed to the request made by the Sri Lankan Government to introduce a " General Scheme of Preference for least developed countries".

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer meeting with Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at the Sri Lanka Institute of International Relations in Colombo yesterday .Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe

This was disclosed by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at a media briefing held at the Sri Lanka Institute of International Relations in Colombo after he met with the visiting German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

"We have argued our case and the German Foreign Minister who is sympathetic to our position, responded positively and Sri Lanka can count on their support, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told the" Daily News".

Based on the best practices adopted by the garment industry and labour standards in Sri Lanka, Germany has agreed to give us special consideration under their `Built in preference system' in Germany", he said.

The German Government had also agreed to fund the Euro two million project on a business information network to be set up in Sri Lanka aimed at improving communication capabilities within the countries in the SAARC Region, Minister added.

Speaking at the briefing the German Foreign Minister emphasised the importance of enhancing the bilateral relationship between the two countries and said that Germany welcomed the Sri Lankan Government's commitment to the peace process. "We are backing our Norwegian friends playing their role in this regard ", Joschka Fischer said.

In response to a question raised by a German journalist, Minister Kadirgamar said that Sri Lanka would extend her support to Germany in her endeavour to secure a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer is in Sri Lanka on a ten day tour of Asia to canvass support for his country's bid to secure a permanent seat in the United Nation's Security Council. The German Foreign Minister is expected to meet President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga before his departure.