Washington, June 11: The conference on reconstruction and development of Sri Lanka has ended in Tokyo with pledges from 51 donor nations and 20 international institutions totalling USD 4.5 billion. "Today the international community is demonstrating to the government of Sri Lanka and to the LTTE that we will support them in the quest for peace, and we are demonstrating to the people of Sri Lanka that we will help them when they need it most," US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said yesterday at the conclusion of the two-day conference organised by the US, Norway, the European Union and Japan. He said the assistance was aimed at re-establishing the physical and social infrastructure destroyed by 20 years of civil war.
"Much of the assistance we have pledged today will go to those who are most desperate, the more than half-million refugees who want to return home," Armitage said.
"For Sri Lankans, there is a price to pay. The price of our faith in you is your progress toward peace. We expect you to disperse this assistance fairly and equitably, with transparency and accountability, and above all with respect for human rights," he said.
Bureau Report