10 March 2010 11:34 am
Sir Peter Ricketts, the Permanent Under-Secretary (PUS) of the British Foreign Office, at a meeting with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama today had said that during his speech the Foreign Secretary had urged GTF members to maintain their commitment to peaceful methods and to support domestic attempts within Sri Lanka to achieve a political solution.
“Sir Peter Ricketts explained that Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials regularly engage with expatriate Sri Lankans from all communities to encourage them to support peaceful efforts to achieve peace in Sri Lanka,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Sri Lankan government had earlier voiced strong objections over Miliband’s participation at the event saying it was a pro-LTTE event. The acting British High Commissioner in Colombo was also summoned by Minister Bogollagama to voice Sri Lanka’s anger over the latest developments.
Sir Peter Ricketts meanwhile also called on the government to allow humanitarian organizations to play a full role in the resettlement of IDPs. He had expressed the UK’s willingness to support Sri Lanka to restore full freedom of movement to all IDPs, to complete the resettlement process and to help civilians rebuild their lives. (Daily Mirror online)