No final decision yet, committee appointed to review SOP – Foreign Ministry

Colombo, June 19 (Daily Mirror) - Amid the ongoing controversy over the UN research vessel’s visit, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has clarified that no final decision has been made yet on the matter.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry told the Daily Mirror that discussions are still underway and that a committee has been appointed few days ago to review the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for foreign research vessels. “The first meeting of the committee will be convened very soon,” the spokesman said.

Following the expiration of a one-year moratorium on foreign research vessels in December last year, the Cabinet of Ministers in January decided to establish a new committee to review the existing SOP and develop a revised framework for accommodating foreign scientific missions.