|
|
|
Friday, February 20, 2009 - 5.31 GMT |
|
Sri Lanka maintains position on British
Special Envoy |
|
|
|
The Cabinet of Ministers met yesterday
decided to maintain the earlier position
taken by them with regard to the appointment
of Des Browne, the British special envoy to
Sri Lanka.
The Cabinet met on February 12 presided by
President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected the
unilateral appointment of a Special Envoy
for Sri Lanka by the British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown.
"The Government of Sri Lanka categorically
states that this appointment is in
contravention of the basic principles
governing international relations and the
requirement for consultation and
reciprocity. The Cabinet noted that neither
proper procedure nor consultations had been
undertaken by the British Government, prior
to the said appointment which are time
honoured traditions in diplomatic practice,"
a Foreign Ministry statement said following
the Cabinet meeting.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha
Bogollagama yesterday apprised the Cabinet
on his discussions with his counterpart
David Milliband regarding the appointment of
a Special Envoy to Sri Lanka.
Foreign Secretary Milliband’s request that
the position of the Government of Sri Lanka
on the said appointment be reconsidered was
discussed by the Cabinet. Having examined if
a change of view was warranted in the
context of the need for the appointment of a
Special Envoy, the Cabinet decided to
maintain the position initially taken on
February 12, 2009.
|
|
|
|
Contact Information: Send
mail to