President to meet Iranian, Palestinian leaders

Pramod de Silva in New York

US: President Mahinda Rajapaksa, currently in New York to attend the 62 ndsessions of the UN General Assembly, will have several important bilateral meetings today on the sidelines of the UN proceedings.

President Rajapaksa will meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the morning, which will be followed by a discussion with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at which the President is expected to reaffirm Lanka's commitment to the Palestinian cause.

Soon after delivering his address to the General Assembly in the afternoon, the President will hold talks with US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns. A meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is planned for the evening at the UN Headquarters.

President Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa will then attend a reception for Heads of State by President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The President yesterday held a meeting with Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme at the UN soon after addressing the conference on climate change.

He also me the President of Iceland Dr. O. Grimsson Later, he visited the New York Buddhist Vihara in Queens, where he participated in religious observances. A meeting with Radhika Coo raswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict is due to be held tomorrow.