British parliamentarian Liam Fox to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 November 2007, 16:46 GMT]
British parliamentarian Liam Fox who is the shadow Defence Minister of the main opposition Conservative Party is to arrive in Sri Lanka on November 5 on a three–day tour at the invitation of the government led by President Mahinda Rajapakse. Rohitha Bogollagama, the Sri Lankan foreign minister, has extended the invitation to him, the Sunday Leader reported.

Mr. Liam Fox would meet Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 5 and Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) on November 7, the report said, quoting informed sources.

Liam Fox earlier brokered a bi-partisan agreement between the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, opposition leader to solve disputes between them in the ethnic conflict.

However, Wickremasinghe has already communicated to Liam Fox that the agreement brokered between him and Chandrika Kumaratunga is no longer valid and there cannot be an extension of it with President Rajapaksa, the Sunday Leader report added.