US envoy expresses concern over Lankan situation

Colombo, June 01 (UNI) Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Richard A Boucher today said, the US government is "extremely concerned over the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka" and urged all the parties to cease violence and get back to the negotiating process as soon as possible.

Mr Boucher today met President Mahinda Rajapakse and other leaders and held extensive discussions on the bilateral co-operations and the truce related situation and human rights violations in Sri Lanka, mainly in the North-East.

President Rajapakse told Mr Boucher that he was ''committed to a negotiated solution to the ethnic crisis and would call on the All Party Conference that meets tomorrow to work out suitable proposals for devolution of power to achieve this end''.

According to top Presidential sources, the President has also told the visiting US envoy that he would ask the All Party Conference tomorrow ''to have a fresh outlook into this matter, and arrive at a consensus on proposals that could be placed before the LTTE for negotiation''.

During his brief stay, Mr Boucher also addressed the American Chamber of Commerce here in Colombo and urged them to maintain a stronger voice in support of peace, highlighting the background that ''Sri Lanka has already lost business because of the uncertainty of the situation here''.

Addressing a media conference this evening, the US Assistant Secretary welcomed the move by the European Union on the LTTE, which he said the rebel outfit ''truly deserves''. He said that the LTTE should ''bear the major responsibility for the upsurge in violence and near-breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.'' Claiming that the US would consider dealing with the LTTE in the event the organisation gives up terrorism, Mr Boucher said that the US government ''will do whatever we can to help the sovereign Sri Lankan government in its struggle against this menace.'' He also added that the US has also brought to Colombo experts in money laundering to assist the government in tracking down and cutting off the sources of funds of these terrorist groups.

MORE UNI XC ARB RK2203