Front Page

Front Page

Bush to meet Ranil again
US President George W. Bush will meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for a 30-minute summit meeting on November 4 - double the time allocated when they met July last year.

Premier Wickremesinghe will make an official visit to Washington DC from November 3-5, the highlight of which is the meeting with President Bush at the Oval office. Meetings have been lined up with senior Bush Administration officials among whom would be National Security Advisor .Condoleeza Rice and Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.

A meeting with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom Premier Wickremesinghe has never met is also a possibility. An official release from the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington DC states a further highlight of the visit will be a tour of the "Biotechnology Corridor" in Maryland State.

The release adds that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe will apprise President Bush on the current status of the peace process and on the economic reform programme of the Government.

"The discussions are also expected to further enhance the deepening and diversification of trade between the two countries, especially because the visit follows the recently concluded Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) 3rd Joint Council meeting in Colombo on October 14, 2003," the release said.

Back to Front Page