talks, which were subsequently taken up by Norway before the political consensus broke down and violence escalated.
He also returned to the country in November last year and held talks with representatives from across the political spectrum.
In comments just priors to embarking on his Sri Lankan visit, Fox had said the political situation in Sri Lanka had clearly changed considerably in a decade, not least with the advance of the JVP and the decision of so many senior UNP members to join the government.
“The military successes certainly seemed to have offered the government an opportunity to show that they were able to begin reconstruction in the East in a way which would benefit all communities.”
“Fulfilling that challenge is now the main test of the sincerity of the government, and one which is hugely important in determining how Sri Lanka is perceived by the rest of the world,” he had further said, in a statement to the Sri Lankan High Commission in London.
He had also noted that the recent local government elections were a step in the right direction, though being questioned in some quarters, and that he looked forward to further progress being made in this process with the next step of the Provincial Council elections in the East, in May 2008.
“I have been impressed by the determination of the Sri Lanka government to make genuine progress on a number of fronts and have accepted the Foreign Minister’s invitation to return to Colombo for further discussions.”
“Ultimately, it is for the people of Sri Lanka to determine their own destiny, but sixty years on from independence, there are still many friends who would go to great lengths to help in any way possible.”
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