US Congress

The congress members have urged the President Bush to appoint a special envoy for Sri Lanka.

A letter signed by the thirty seven congress members says that they were deeply troubled by the ever-worsening situation on the ground there.

The renewed violence and rising death toll in Sri Lanka have overtaken the fragile peace process and threaten a return to open civil war, it said.

"We are troubled by the large increase in kidnappings across Sri Lanka, most of which remain unsolved", they said in their letter.

The congress members said that naming a special envoy for Sri Lanka would further emphasize US government's commitment to fostering a lasting peace.

"It is essential that the US envoy be a high-level official with accesss to you and Secretary of State, Rice. The envoy's mandate should be clear and must include efforts to increase monitoring of human righst violations", the Congress members added.

Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa said the US government receives similar letters daily and this letter will not strain long time relations between the United States and Sri Lanka.

The US embassy in Colombo has expressed its satisfaction on the government's policies and Sri Lankan government believed it is the stand of the United States government, Minister Yapa added.