COLOMBO, Aug 7 – Sri Lanka has urged a Chinese company to expedite work on an expressway between the country’s south and war affected north, a statement said Tuesday.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a delegation of China Merchants Group (CMG) headed by the company president Li Jianhong that the highway is important for people in the north, Xinhua news agency reported.
He requested the Chinese delegation to expedite work on the northern expressway which, once completed, will make it easier and faster to travel between the north and south.
CMG is carrying out the feasibility study and preparation of the technical and financial reports for the expressway project.
The CMG delegation was in Sri Lanka for the opening of the Colombo Port South Terminal as a partner in the Colombo Port Expansion Project.
“This harbour is very competitive in the South Asian region. It will not only benefit South Asia but also the wider Asian region,” said Li Jianhong.
The Tamil Tiger rebels were in control of most parts of the north during a 30-year war with the army and with the defeat of the rebels in May 2009, the government has embarked on a massive development drive with foreign assistance.
– BERNAMA
