UNP delegat
ion comprising opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, party’s international affairs secretary Ravi Karunanayake and former parliamentarian Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks yesterday – but they were taken by surprise when Minister Athauda Seneviratne walked in and sat through the entirety of the discussion. Opposition sources said Minister Athauda Seneviratne who was the Minister-in-attendance for the visiting dignitary had walked in unannounced while the talks were proceeding and his presence took the visiting delegation too by surprise.They said it was not the usual practice for Ministers-in-attendance to be present with visiting heads of state or governments.
The cordial discussion between Mr. Wickremesinghe and Mr. Abbas was based on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the developments in Sri Lanka. They met at the Colombo Hilton.
