US praises new policies of Maithripala Sirisena government

WASHINGTON: Praising the new Sri Lankan government, the US today said President Maithripala Sirisena has moved the country away from divisive politics and crony capitalism toward a new path of reconciliation and inclusive development.

The US plans to support Sri Lanka's pursuit of that new path, to strengthen governance, especially its judicial and financial institutions, according to a US State Department statement issued yesterday.

"Democratic elections has brought about a sea change in the US relationship with Sri Lanka, the new President has moved the country away from divisive politics and crony capitalism toward a new path of reconciliation and inclusive development," said Richard E Hoagland, a top South and Central Asian Affairs official.

The new path will be a boon for the Sri Lankan people, he added.

The US government's delight over the democratic transition in Sri Lanka with the January 8 presidential poll victory of Sirisena was reflected in the early May visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Colombo.

He became the first US Secretary of State to visit Sri Lanka since 1972.

The US was sharply critical of Sirisena predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa administration's human rights record.

The US moved resolutions in the UN human rights body resulted in international warcrimes investigation on alleged abuses of international humanitarian law during the final phase of the military campaign against the LTTE.

The over three-decade-long separatist campaign of the LTTE ended in May 2009 when Sri Lankan military crushed the militants, who were fighting for an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils.