Australia pledges fullest support for Lanka CHOGM

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard told External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris that she is looking forward to attend the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka, and that Australia will do everything she can to ensure total success of the event.

She made this observation at a meeting in the Australian Parliament in Canberra on Wednesday.

Australian Foreign Minister Senator Robert Carr reiterated the enthusiastic support of his country for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November.

Australia will send to Colombo two Senior Officials to share with Sri Lanka, the country's hands-on experience with regard to the logistics of the Commonwealth Summit which was held in Perth, Western Australia, two years ago, the Australian Foreign Minister said.

The Foreign Ministers of Sri Lanka and Australia discussed plans to expand development cooperation between the two countries. They noted that Australian Development Assistance last year, in terms of the actual outcome had significantly exceeded the original commitments.

Dairy development and extension of AUSAID programmes for Sri Lankans to read for postgraduate studies in Australian Universities were discussed by the two ministers.

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith, at his meeting with Minister Prof. Peiris, expressed appreciation of Sri Lanka's sustained and effective initiatives to curb people smuggling, and conveyed to the Sri Lankan Minister Australia's willingness to make available to the Sri Lankan authorities appropriate facilities, including a Coast Guard vessel, to assist with these operations. They noted that the Joint Working Group is producing positive results, and that further modalities will be discussed between the Chiefs of the two Navies shortly.

At this meeting, as well as in his discussions with Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Brendan O'Connor, Minister Peiris gave an account of continuing activities by LTTE front organizations and pressed for their proscription under the Australian Criminal Code Act.

Minister Peiris had discussions with Speaker of the Australian Parliament Anna Burke, as well as with Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, and with Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Scott Morrison. Opposition personalities, too, expressed emphatic support for CHOGM in Colombo. Minister Peiris was accompanied by a delegation of Sri Lankan Members of Parliament, consisting of Parliamentarians Namal Rajapaksa, Lohan Ratwatta, Thilanga Sumathipala and Wasantha Senanayake.