President Rajapaksa invites UN Sec-Gen to visit Sri Lanka

Monday, 29 September 2014 01:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ban Ki-moon encourages Sri Lanka to continue making progress on the post-war agenda

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met for talks at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Saturday. Congratulating President Rajapaksa on his leadership, Ban acknowledged the progress that has been made in Sri Lanka in the years after the war and expressed his optimism that the remaining challenges would also be overcome with this type of political leadership.

President Rajapaksa outlined the developments that have taken place, including the near-completion of all demining activities, the improvement of health services, and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-combatants, among others achievements. The President also informed the Secretary-General of the rehabilitation of schools that the Government has undertaken in war-affected areas. President Rajapaksa pointed out that, unlike before, some of the island’s best results from national examinations now originate from the Northern Province. Sec-Gen Ban also underscored the need for wider political consultation for a successful political process. In this regard, he noted that all political parties must engage. President Rajapaksa invited Ban to make another visit to Sri Lanka to assess the development since his last visit. Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Kshenuka Senewiratne, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona and the Deputy Permanent Representative Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva were also present for the meeting.