News
LLRC report: C’wealth ready to help Lanka
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma who arrives in Sri Lanka tomorrow to attend the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference will discuss possible collaboration between the Commonwealth and Sri Lanka on the implementation of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
During his visit, Mr. Sharma will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris to discuss issues related to the implementation of the LLRC recommendations.
Commonwealth Spokesperson Richard Uku in an email interview said that although no specific details were available on possible areas of engagement to implement the LLRC recommendations, there was potential for collaboration.Mr. Sharma, in a statement issued prior to his arrival in Colombo said, “In terms of our potential support to Sri Lanka in implementing the recommendations of the LLRC report, we can offer partnership in capacity-building to advance the Commonwealth goals of development, democracy and respect for diversity.”
The talks between the Commonwealth Secretary-General and the President will also focus on the preparations for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Sri Lanka in November next year. The Secretary-General will also visit venues proposed for that meeting during his stay here from today till Thursday.
Asked if there were any impediments to the Commonwealth summit being held in Sri Lanka, spokesman Uku said the Commonwealth Heads of Government decided in 2009, when they met in Port of Spain, to hold their 2013 meeting in Sri Lanka. “They reaffirmed this decision in Perth Australia in 2011. The current visit of Commonwealth Secretariat officials to Sri Lanka is a preparatory visit to take this decision forward,” he said.
President Rajapaksa will declare open the Commonwealth Parliamentary conference on Tuesday.
Follow @timesonlinelk
Related Posts:
President Rajapaksa to inaugurate 58th CPA conference in Colombo on TuesdaySri Lanka will host the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference in Colombo, to be declared open next Tuesday by ...
India gets tough; Menon here for crucial talksIndia is sending a top-level emissary to Sri Lanka to convey in “the strongest terms” New Delhi’s concerns over a ...
Navi Pillay team coming; Govt. changes policyExperts from the UN Human Rights Council will arrive in Colombo next month to “offer advice and technical assistance” to ...
Why Lanka should remain non-alignedThe Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) shows little movement other than when summits are held. And so, it was with the latest, ...
International community endorses Maldivian Commission Report on transfer of powerThe international community has endorsed the decisions of the Maldivian inquiry panel which said that the government of President Mohamed ...