President meets British PM

United Kingdom stands ready to provide assistance and aid to achieve Sri Lanka’s future development goals in any sector, Prime Minister of UK, Mr David Cameron stated during the bilateral discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena held at Downing Street, London, March 10, 2015. Prime Minister Cameron congratulated President Maithripala on his presidential election victory and said that he is pleased to see the positive development in post-election Sri Lanka. President Maithripala explained the processes that are being implemented to protect the freedom and rights of all Sri Lankans. “We are in the process of returning the lands of the Northern people,” said the President. He elaborated on the Reconciliation Task Force, which has been set up to ensure trust, unity and the contribution of all to uplift the nation while healing the wounds of mistrust as well as social and cultural tension between different communities in Sri Lanka due to conflict and violence. President Maithripala explained the actions that have been taken in the first two months, including rebuilding confidence in the judicial system by restoring its independence. Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the initial steps the government has taken so far. Following the meeting a Downing Street spokesman said that the  President Sirisena set out the actions his government has already begun to take to reform Sri Lanka in its first two months, including rebuilding confidence in the judicial system by restoring its independence, identifying land to return to the Tamils in the North of the island and replacing military provincial governors with civilian ones. "The two leaders also discussed President Sirisena’s clear plans to build lasting reconciliation across Sri Lanka, both through supporting the ongoing UN investigation and by establishing an internal mechanism to address issues from Sri Lanka’s past. The PM welcomed the steps the President had taken so far and his commitment to helping Sri Lanka to realise its enormous potential. He reiterated that meaningful engagement with the ongoing UN process ahead of its report in September is central to the UK’s continued support for Sri Lanka." he said.