International   

Armitage visiting Jaffna today

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO Aug. 21. The United States Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, will start his whistle-stop visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow by flying to Jaffna for a first-hand appraisal of the current peace process. Mr. Armitage will fly to Jaffna in a U.S. Air Force aircraft after his arrival here tomorrow morning.

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, after his recent meeting with the U.S. President, George Bush, said the island's peace process had gained an international security net, following the backing it got from several countries. Against this backdrop, Mr. Armitage's visit to Jaffna is seen here as one that sends a signal to the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) that the U.S. is firmly behind the peace process. "It could well be an indirect message to the Tigers that the U.S. is watching the situation in Sri Lanka'', a political leader said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Massive pre-poll rigging planned: Benazir
• SAARC meet identifies 'core areas' for cooperation
• Fears of terrorism resurface in Moscow
• 'Iraq is aware of Al-Qaeda presence'
• Armitage visiting Jaffna today
• Pak. must abandon terrorism: Advani
• Hebron pullout may be next
• Afghan refugees to be given money to return home
• Bahrain, Iran oppose U.S. move

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu