U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE CHRISTINA ROCCA TO VISIT SRI LANKA

US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on 12th and 13th May 2003 at the invitation of the Prime Minister. She is part of the delegation of Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage visiting Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and will visit Sri Lanka at the conclusion of those visits.

Deputy Secretary of State Armitage will lead the US delegation to the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka to be held next month which is being co-chaired by the US.

The present visit is a follow up to the successful Pre-Tokyo Seminar held in Washington in April 2003 hosted by the State Department.

Ms. Rocca’s visit signifies the continuing support of the US Government to the peace process. This visit follows her earlier visit to Sri Lanka in March 2003.

She will also discuss during the visit bilateral relations in the context of the deepening ties between Washington and Colombo.

Ms. Rocca is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and members of the negotiating team including Ministers G.L. Peiris, Milinda Moragoda and Rauf Hakeem among others.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA

02 May 2003