Opposition UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is to visit Brussels, London and Oslo later this month on what his office said was classified as "official business" connected with his role as a vice-president of the right-wing International Democratic Union (IDU).
Mr. Wickremesinghe will brief European Union leaders in Brussels (the EU headquarters) and officials in London about the prevailing political situation in Sri Lanka.
His office said that while world leaders were concentrating on the situation in the North due to the military offensive and the resultant humanitarian crisis, the "dictatorial tendencies" of the government in the South was escaping their attention.
The visit to Norway, they insisted was to visit the IDU's temporary headquarters which is the office of the Norwegian Conservative Party where he will pay a courtesy call on the out-going President of the IDU, former Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen.
Asked if the visit to Norway was advisable at this moment of time given the plunge in diplomatic relations between the two countries, Mr. Wickremesinghe's office said that Norway was no longer the facilitator in any peace process with the LTTE.
"He will also visit our embassy that was damaged by pro-LTTE supporters in Oslo recently, a visit that no Government leader has paid," a spokesman said.
The spokesman confirmed that Mr. Wickremasinghe would also be meeting Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim, who was the special Norwegian Government appointee to liaise between the Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE during the failed peace process.
Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves for Jordan tomorrow on a State visit. |
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