British Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2011, 12:39 GMT]
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia of the British Government, Alistair Burt, arrived in Colombo Monday morning on a two-day official visit. This is the first ministerial visit to Sri Lanka under the current UK administration, the British High Commission in Colombo in a press release said. Mr Burt is also scheduled to visit Jaffna, according to the High Commission.

"During his two-day visit, Minister Burt will meet with the Minister of External Affairs, the Secretary of Defense and the Minister of Economic Development among other key local political figures; representatives of civil society groups; important members of the business community; and staff members of the British High Commission and the British Council in Colombo. He will also be visiting Jaffna," the release said.

Political observers said the visit is the first visit by a high-level political official from Britain after the Oxford University fiasco where Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse speech was cancelled, and the President's contingent had to make a quick exit fearing arrest of an ex-Army commander in the group for alleged war-crimes.

Chronology: