Donors will see Lanka from Galle

By Nalaka Nonis

A separate session on the political situation of Sri Lanka will be conducted at the two-day Development Forum-- a conference of donor countries and aid agencencies-- at the Light House hotel in Galle tomorrow.

Deputy Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said an open dialogue would be held with the representatives of the donor countries and agencies such as the World Bank, the IMF and the ADB.

He said tomorrow’s session would not be a pledging conference though the government expected a commitment of about 1.5 billion dollars for development projects.

The Treasury’s Deputy Secretary R. A. Jayatissa said the Mahnda Chinthana’s 10-year development plan would be the main topic at the forum.

He said the meeting was being held in Galle so that donors could see for themselves the post-tsunami development in the South.

He said the government would insist that development aid must come without conditions.