There can be no military solution to this-Sri Lanka- conflict -USA

The President met with Richard Boucher, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.

Sri Lanka President holds bilateral meetings with Bhutan and US in India
Wednesday, April 4, 2007, 13:43 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.Apr 04, New Delhi: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa held bilateral meetings in New Delhi today on the sidelines of the 14th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

A panel discussion and seminar in London 

A panel discussion and a seminar on the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka is to be held in London this week with academics from Sri Lanka, India, Britain and Australia, including former JVP General Secretary, Lionel Bopage, expected to participate.

The seminar organized by the Academy of arts and science of the Tamils of Ceylon (ASATIC), will be held at the Elvin Hall of the University of London on the 24th of this month under the theme- “Sri Lanka at a ethnic cross road”.

Dr. V Ameerdeen, senior lecturer of the University of Peradeniya, Professor S Sinnathambi, also of the university Peradeniya, Professor L.M Desai, Director of the Centre for Global Study, Dr. S Chandrasekaran, Director of the South Asia Analysis Group, India, Professor S Ganesan, University College London Academy, Lionel Bopage, friends for peace in Sri Lanka and V. Kuhanenthiranwill will address the gathering.

Meanwhile a panel discussion is to be held today under the theme, “The way forward to peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka” in committee room 19 of the House of Commons. It has been organized by Campaign for peace and unity in Sri Lanka and hosted by Andrew Love, MP, Co- chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka and chaired by Rt. Hon. Lord Naseby of Sandy.

Britain could withhold Sri Lanka aid

From correspondents in Colombo

February 19, 2007 04:39am Article from: Reuters

BRITAIN warned overnight it will withhold millions of pounds worth of aid to Sri Lanka if the island's government fails to provide assurances it is fulfilling agreed human rights and defence spending conditions.

Britain agreed in 2005 to provide Sri Lanka £41 million ($102.4 million) in debt relief through 2015 in yearly instalments of around £4 million ($10 million), as long as it meets conditions related to various issues, including human rights and defence expenditure.

The British government has written to its Sri Lankan counterpart asking it to clarify whether those conditions were still being met.

"If the response doesn't reassure the UK government that conditions agreed by both governments are being met, we will not disburse the next instalment," a spokeswoman for Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) said from London.

The British warning comes as both the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels ignore repeated pleas from the international community to halt a new chapter of a two decade civil war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983.

Truce monitors and rights groups have accused both government forces and the Tigers of repeated violations of a now tattered 2002 ceasefire pact, and a team of international experts has been appointed to observe a probe into a series of killings and abuses blamed on both sides.

Britain this week offered to play a bigger role in Sri Lanka's moribund peace process, including talking directly to Tamil Tiger rebels it has labelled as terrorists, as part of efforts to end the war that has killed around 4000 people in the past year alone.

Highest ever aid of $ 1.05 b in 2006

By Sunimalee Dias, Daily Mirror lk, 04 Feb 2007

Sri Lanka has secured the highest amount of aid disbursements to date in 2006 amounting to US$1.05 billion.

The total disbursements by all development partners in the year 2006 was US$1052 million which is the highest aid disbursement, the Finance and Planning Ministry External Resources Department Director General Sujatha Cooray told the international donors during a presentation made at the Sri Lanka Development Forum 2007 in Galle.

She explained that project loans amounted to US$722 million, programme loans worth US$52 million and project grants amounting to US$278 million.

In addition there was a capital market borrowing of US$100 million, it was pointed out.

Foreign assistance received in 2006 accounted for 17% of government expenditure; 54% of public investment; and 4.5% of GDP. This reflected the important contribution towards the country’s development efforts, Cooray said in her presentation.

Some of the major sectors that were financel were road development amounting to US$390 million; power sector development accumulating US$160 million; water supply and sanitation amounting to US$150 million; and education development financed with US$80 million in the same year.

Cooray noted that the project pipeline for the next three years was prepared in terms of the Medium Term Budgetary Framework developed within the overall policy vision of the “Mahinda Chinthana”.

With a growth target of 8% in the next six year,s Cooray highlighted that there would be a significant up scaling of investments to achieve the target.

In terms of foreign assistance mobilization an increase in investment GDP ratio gradually from 30% to 38% in 10 years, was highlighted.

External funding will bellsought to finance part of the Savings Investment gap while maintaining debt sustainability.

In addition it was observed that mobilization of funding for the development projects in priority areas were in line with the “Mahinda Chinthana – Vision for a New Sri Lanka”. A broader consultative approach would be taken on to ensure new aid programmes are better targeted and utilization is accelerated, Cooray said. “Investment is expected mainly in support of infrastructure development programmes envisaged in the “Mahinda Randora” and make faster progress towards achieving the development objectives,” it was pointed out.

The major projects in the pipeline for which the government has already entered into discussion with the development partners to secure funding are in terms of the port development, road and railway sector development, power sector, water supply sector, education sector and the fisheries sector.

A Colombo Port Expansion Project under the port development projects seeks funding amounting to US$300 million while the Hambantota Sea Port Development at US$310 million; Oluvil Port Project at US$44 million; and Rehabilitation of KKS Port at US$23 million.These major projects together with all other development projects for which progress is being made the government was hoping to secure funding amounting to US$4.5 billion.

As such these expected commitments would be planned annually for the three years in the form of US$2.3 billion for 2007, US$1.8 billion for 2008 and US$0.4 billion for 2009.

Under the Road and Railway Sector Development the government seeks funding for the Greater Colombo Urban Transport Project (Outer Circular Highway) Phase 1 at US$185 million; Greater Colombo Urban Transport Project Phase II at US$150 million; Road network Improvement Project at US$150 million; Proposed Northern Highway to Jaffna at US$250 million; the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway at US$200 million; and Improvement to the Colombo – Matara Railway line at US$10 million.

In the Power Sector funding is being sought for the Construction of the Kerawalapitiya Combined Cycle Power Plant amounting to US$210 million; Construction of Jaffna Power Plant at US$20 million; North East Transmission Development Project at US$30 million; and Renewable Energy Development Project at US$40 million.

Foreign funding required under the Water Supply Sector involves :Water and Sanitation Sector Development at US$90 million; Jaffna Water Supply at US$65 million; Negombo Water Supply Project at US$52 million; Greater Colombo Waste Water Management at US$50 million; Greater Kurunegala Water Supply and Sanitation at US$18 million; Secondary Towns Water Supply – Phase II at US$65 million; and the Ampara Water Supply – Phase III at US$92 million. Under the Education Sector it was highlighted that the government sought funding for the Education Sector Development at US$70 million; Infrastructure Improvement at South Eastern University at Us$9 million; and Upgrading of Niyagama Technical College at US$9 million.