Three billion dollors pledged

Talking to press after the conclusion of the two day proceedings of the Sri Lanka Development Forum, he said,

"I am much more confident now after having heard her cast-iron commitment"

Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama said Sri Lanka Development Forum has pledged three billion dollars as aid to Sri Lanka and funds would be available within the next three to four years.

The money has been pledged after President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumratunge's speech which help to win the confidence of the donors, he said.

"Unless we go on the path of a negotiated peace many of these pledges and assurance of funding will not be realised", he said.

President Kumaratunga yesterday revealed that the LTTE has been very supportive of the Government’s development activities of war ravaged areas in the North and East Provinces even before the tsunami came about.

Vociferous minority can't hinder

“We now therefore have an opportunity to get them involved in a common transparent administrative mechanism to rebuild the lives of tsunami hit people of those six districts. There would be a fair representation of all communities who live in the coastal districts who suffered the ferocity of the tidal waves.”, she said

President Kumaratunga cautioned, “There will be objections to this from outside of the Government and also from within. However a vociferous minority cannot be allowed to hinder the forward march of a nation towards peace and economic prosperity”.

Deputy Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said it was an open and a successful meeting.

Allowing even trade unionists to represent the development forum proved it to be a democratic meeting which allowed airing their views.