Speaker invites CPA colleagues to SL to enjoy effects of peace

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa welcomed members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to Sri Lanka to enjoy with all, the effects of the peace dividend in the island.

Addressing the Executive Committee of the CPA at the Grand Committee Room of the Westminster Hall of the House of Parliament, the Speaker also informed the membership about the arrangements made by the CPA Sri Lanka branch to host the 58th CPA conference in Colombo in 2012.

He pointed out that next year's conference would be the third time that the annual CPA conference is hosted by Sri Lanka, the previous events having taken place in 1974 and 1995. Attending CPA sessions with the Speaker were Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Mahinda Samarasinghe and MPs Sudarshini Fernandopulle and M A Sumanthiran.

Addressing the membership, the Speaker informed that the CPA Sri Lanka Branch had already commenced the preparatory work with regard to the arrangements for CPC 2012 which will be held from September 7-15.

He said that most of the official events of the conference will be held at the BMICH in Colombo while the programme of the event would closely follow the general CPA format in this regard. Speaker Rajapaksa expressed how pleased Sri Lanka was to be given the opportunity to welcome Commonwealth Parliamentarians and Parliamentary officials to Sri Lanka in 2012 and assured that all efforts would be taken by the CPA Sri Lanka Branch as the host Branch of the annual conference to make the participants' stay pleasant.

Speaker Rajapaksa is to be appointed as the CPA President at the conclusion of this year's conference for a period of one year while President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be elected as the association's vice-patron of 2011-2012.