President Mahinda Rajapaksa has postponed an intended visit to the UK following an invitation by the Oxford Union to address it.

The visit was to have taken place next week. The UK authorities have been informed that the visit has been postponed due to the very busy schedule of the President, at present.

Some media organizations published incorrect reports about this postponement on Saturday Nov 5, without the courtesy of verifying the facts from the relevant authorities. Below is the Media Release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on this matter.

His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a busy schedule of foreign visits recently to India, the United States of America and China . There is also the important matter of the inauguration of his second term of office in mid-November, leading to a very busy schedule in Sri Lanka.

As such his proposed visit to the United Kingdom at the invitation of the Oxford Union has been postponed, to a more suitable time, and the British authorities so informed.

It is regretted that the media organizations that carried the news item about the alleged cancellation of the proposed visit by the President to the United Kingdom have done so without any inquiry from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Presidential Secretariat or the Sri Lanka High Commission in London.

Ministry of External Affairs

Colombo
05th November 2010"