In view of the rapidly unfolding situation in the North, the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama met with the Head of the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) Mr. Paul Castella in order to discuss the present situation in the conflict zone and to exchange views on the difficulties encountered by the ICRC so that both sides could explore ways and means of jointly addressing the issues at hand. The Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona and Senior Officials of the Foreign Ministry were associated with the discussion.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a Message to the first ever Conference of SAARC Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs which was inaugurated this morning at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo hailed Democratic Governance as the best path for the progress of our people. The Message of the President was delivered by Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga. Stating that it is significant today that all countries of the SAARC region are democracies that believe in the principles of representative government, the President expressed that Sri Lanka has a long tradition of democracy, especially universal franchise, which goes back to the colonial period, and has a history of having the oldest elective democracy in Asia, which was established in 1931, with elections to the then State Council.

At the recently concluded Independence Day Celebrations held at Forest Hills High School on 08 February, a team comprising of Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Chief Economist and the Director, Economic Research and Mr. Arjuna Mohottala, Economist at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka made a presentation on investment in Treasury bonds and bills of the Government of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankans living abroad. A summary of the speech and the presentation is attached herewith for you to obtain any additional information.

 The Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama appreciates the statement made by the Tokyo Co-Chairs who have recognized that the “international efforts to persuade the LTTE to allow the civilians freedom of movement have failed”. The Co-Chairs have also drawn attention to the fact that within a short period of time, the LTTE will lose control of the remaining areas in the North.
After nearly three decades of fighting the ruthless LTTE, who have been proscribed in several countries including the USA, UK, the European Union, India and Canada, Sri Lanka is at a juncture at which the military is gaining control of all areas in the North. The Government is fully aware of the need to look after the welfare of the civilians who are been held as human shields by the LTTE. President Mahinda Rajapakse on 29th January 2009 announced a 48 hour safe passage to the civilians to move to a safe zone, keeping in mind, the need to ensure the security and welfare of these innocent civilians. The Government remains ready to provide humanitarian facilities to the civilians if the LTTE lets the people go.