News
SJB demands entire agreement with IMF, refuses to take part in vote
By Saman Indrajith
The Opposition was not in a position to back the IMF/EFF facility at the vote scheduled to be taken on Friday (28) as the government had not submitted the entire agreement with the IMF, Chief Opposition Whip SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday.
Participating in the three-day debate on the IMF/EFF facility, Kiriella said: “How could one expect us to vote for an agreement, part of which has been hidden from us. The agreement is yet to be tabled in this House. What has been given to the MPs so far is the request letter sent by the government to the IMF. What we demand to see is the agreement that the government entered with the IMF. What sort of debate is this when the cause of debate is only a guess and inference in our minds? Nobody knows anything about the contents of this agreement. What is the meaning of this debate? As such, how does the government expect us to vote in support of this agreement?”Kiriella said that those speaking from the government ranks in this debate
stated that everything has turned for the better and the economy has been uplifted as the government managed to solve the financial mess. “If everything is rosy, then the government should be in a position to release funds to conduct the elections. If the economy has improved then the next step for this government is to hold the local council polls to let the people elect their representatives,” Kiriella said.
Following the conclusion of bilateral discussions between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, official-level talks between the delegations of Sri Lanka and India commenced this morning (05) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Anil Jayantha; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with other senior officials.
The Indian delegation included Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and His Excellency Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, along with several other senior officials of the Government of India.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Friday [04] night, visited the Presidential Secretariat this morning (05).
The Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake upon his arrival at the Presidential Secretariat.
Prime Minister Modi is currently on a state visit to Sri Lanka, reaffirming the theme “Friendship of Centuries — Commitment to a Prosperous Future” which symbolises the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and India. The Indian Premier is scheduled to remain in the country until tomorrow (06).
[PMD]
The official welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held this morning (05) at the Independence Square in Colombo.
On arrival at the Independence Square the Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
Discussions between Sri Lankan and Indian delegations at the presidential secretariat
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Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi arrives at the presidential secretariat
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