New US Ambassador presents credentials
[16 Nov 2000]

The new American Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashley Wills presented credentials to the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge on last Monday.  Ambassador Ashley Wills marks the 21^st place in the line of Ambassadors who have served Sri Lanka during last 52 years of diplomatic relations.

After the ceremony of presenting credentials Ambassador Wills stated, "I am delighted to take up my posting as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and look forward to finding ways and means for the United States to be useful as Sri Lanka searches for peace and greater prosperity."

Ambassador Wills, born in Tennessee was raised in Mississippi and Georgia.  He had graduated from the University of Virginia in 1971, and completed his Master at the John Hopkins University in Economics.  The Ambassador Wills is a fluent speaker of Serbo-Croatian, Romania, French and Persian [Farsi] languages.  He is married to Gina Mancuri Wills, a psychologist and has two children.

Ambassador Ashley Wills, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and a devoted Foreign Service Officer since 1972 has contributed immense for his career.  His recent appointment was as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d'affairs at the Embassy in New Delhi.  He has earlier served in Brussels, Belgium, Belgrade and Yugoslavia as the Head of South African Affairs at the State Department and as Political Advisor to the Commander of US Forces in Grenada, Bridgetown, Barbados, Durban, South Africa, Bucharest and Romania.     

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