Meeting between Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Government of Japan, and Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Richard Armitage on the Peace Process in Sri Lanka

February 4, 2004

Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Government of Japan, had a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Mr. Richard Armitage on 3 February 2004 at the official residence of the US Ambassador in Tokyo to exchange views on the Sri Lankan peace process.
During the meeting, Mr. Akashi and Mr. Armitage shared deep concern over the current political crisis, which has kept the Sri Lankan peace talks in suspension.
In view of the coming meeting among the Co-chairs of the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka (Japan, US, Norway, EU) to be held in Washington, D.C. on 17 February, Mr. Akashi and the Deputy Secretary of State Mr. Armitage expressed a strong hope that the parties concerned would demonstrate their flexibility to settle the political crisis swiftly so as to enable expeditious progress in the peace negotiations as well as in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of their country.

(END)