Ambassador Ronald J. Sorini was appointed an Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in the State of Illinois. Ambassador Sorini currently serves as the President of the Trade Negotiations and Legislative Affairs practice at Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg, P.A. (ST&R).

As the Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka, Ambassador Sorini will provide protocol services for ranking Sri Lankan officials visiting the United States and will be the point of contact for leading politicians, businessmen, members of academe and professionals of Sri Lanka in the areas of trade, business, and tourism.

Ambassador Sorini has been a champion of Sri Lanka for many years working to enhance trade between the U.S. and Sri Lanka and helping the country to attract private direct investment. Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg, P.A. has been providing consultancy and advisory services to the Government of Sri Lanka and to the private sector for many years.

Ambassador Sorini has been involved in international trade matters for over 20 years. Prior to joining ST&R in December 1999, he served as a Senior Vice President for International Development and Government Relations at Fruit of the Loom, a textile and apparel company, where he played a leadership role in numerous legislative activities that had a tremendous impact on the U.S. textile and apparel industry.

During the term of President George H. W. Bush, Ambassador Sorini served as the U.S. Chief Textile Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1989 – 1993. Mr. Sorini was nominated by President Bush for the rank of Ambassador in 1990 to conduct international trade negotiations. During his tenure at USTR, Ambassador Sorini negotiated over 50 international trade agreements, including aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Ambassador Sorini can be reached at:

225 W. Washington Street
Suite 1550
Chicago, IL 60606
Tel: 312 641 0000
Fax: 312 651 0005

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA

04 March 2004