Demining: US official in Sri Lanka

YAHOO! NEWS

Colombo, May 2 (IANS) A US official has ended a week-long visit during which he meet NGOs in Sri Lanka's north and discussed the progress in de-mining activities.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Plans, Programmes andOperations Walter D. Givhan was in Sri Lanka from April 26 to May 2.

Givhan held meetings in Colombo and visited Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, two of the northern districts that were the war theatre until the Sri Lankan military crushed the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.

In the north, he met NGOs to discuss the progress of de-mining in the region.

Givhan met Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Army commander General Jagath Jayasuriya and Navy Commander Vice Admiral D.W.A.S. Dissanayake to discuss the military bilateral ties and support for de-mining.

The US has provided $34.5 million to aid Sri Lanka's de-mining activities since 1993.