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Minister of Constitutional Affairs and Industrial Development, Professor G.L. Peiris, in Washington on Thursday briefed top US officials about the present situation in Sri Lanka. The minister met Thomas Pickering, the Acting American Secretary of state who deputized for Madeline Albright who was in South East Asia with President Clinton. He outlined the constitutional reform process and the government's commitment to a political settlement of the North East conflict. Prof. Peiris also went on to detail the steps taken by the present government since 1994 which included the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) process, and the personal intervention by President Kumaratunga this year to initiate a dialogue with all political parties. The steps taken by the President to present the Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka Bill to Parliament in July/August were also explained by the minister. The minister also held talks with Karl Inderfurth, US Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department. At a separate discussion with Karen Turner, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the minister spoke of the measures taken to develop the Small and Medium scale Industrial Sector. He outlined the need for further capacity building in the private sector and discussed in detail the successful competitiveness programme. Prof. Peris in a discussion with Edwin Turner of the US Treasury pointed out that the Sri Lankan economy, despite the war expenditure and several external pressures had managed consistent growth of around 4% over the past several years. Just as the Sri Lankan government was working to ensure sustained growth, it also placed due emphasis on welfare programmes and was committed to achieving balanced growth and social equity through poverty alleviation programmes. These senses of balance pervaded President Kumaratunga's approach to handling the local economy, Prof. Peiris explained.
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