Sarvodaya Chief gives message of peace

Washington, D.C. - Sri Lanka's apostle of peace Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne was in Washington last week on a one-month U.S. tour. The American people and the Sri Lankan community in the Washington D.C. area welcomed him as a world leader.

Dr. Ariyaratne began his message of hope and peace at the Harvard Divinity School in Boston and travelled across the country before visiting Hawaii. In Washington, he spoke at the World Bank, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, and the George Washington University.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Shaun Donnelly and Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States Bernard Goonatilleke (left) welcomed Dr. Ariyaratne at the George Washington University's reception and public lecture organized by Professor Patrick Mendis (right), the vice president of the Osgood Center for International Studies in Washington, D.C.

At the George Washington University, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Shaun Donnelly, currently with the White House Office of United States Trade Representative, welcomed Dr. Ariyaratne to Washington. "He is a remarkable man who has inspired not only me but also millions of Sri Lankans and others around world," said the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative.