|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 1 March 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Politics | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
| Amunugama to hold talks with G-8 Group, EU over reconstruction assistance by Uditha Kumarasinghe Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama left for France on Sunday to participate in the Paris High Level Forum scheduled to be held in the French capital from February 28 to March 2. At this forum, the Finance Minister will hold extensive discussions with members of the G-8 Group over financial assistance pledged to reconstruct the country's tsunami affected areas and also for other development activities implemented by the Government, a Finance Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday. Dr. Amunugama will also brief members on the progress made in the relief and reconstruction efforts of the Government in the tsunami hit areas. In early November last year, the French Government invited Finance Minister Dr. Amunugama to participate in the Paris High Level Forum which is being conducted under the theme " Joint progress towards enhanced development aid, effectiveness, harmonisation, alignment and results." Following the High Level Forum, the Finance Minister is due to leave for Brussels, Belgium where he will hold discussions with the Head of the International Aid division of the European Union Margot Walstrome on March 4. At this meeting, Dr. Amunugama will brief the hosts on the post tsunami development activities implemented by the Government in country's tsunami stricken areas while seeking the EU assistance towards the Government's relief and reconstruction drive launched with a view to raise the lives of the tsunami stricken families. "Therefore, the Finance Minister's visit is expected to bring more fruitful results and is bound to increase opportunities for a greater amount of financial assistance to Sri Lanka towards the initiatives taken by the Government to rebuild the tsunami stricken areas and also other key development activities implemented by the Government," he said. Dr. Amunugama also recently visited Japan to procure further Japanese aid and assistance towards the relief and reconstruction drive and rebuild the lives of the tsunami stricken families enabling them to resume their normal activities. During his visit, Minister Amunugama held talks with the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. The Lankan Finance Minister also held discussions with representatives of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) with a view to seek financial assistance for the country's development activities implemented by the Freedom Alliance Government, he said. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
