Archbishop meets with Deputy Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka
Thursday 12th May 2011
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams today met the Deputy Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Mr Neomal Perera MP who is visiting the UK. The Archbishop continues to have direct oversight of the two Anglican dioceses of the church of Ceylon in Sri Lanka and their bishops.The Archbishop raised a number of specific questions about issues of human rights (including reports he had received that recent land acquisitions were being socially engineered), and the government's response to the profound and urgent need for an equitable, inclusive and sustainable political settlement in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's internal conflict. He stressed the importance of avoiding any culture of impunity with respect to human rights violations, and of transparency. They also discussed the response of the government of Sri Lanka to the report of the UN Secretary General's Panel Of Experts published on 11 April.