Sri Lanka expects full Commonwealth participation at summit

The Sri Lankan government said Monday that it expects all the Commonwealth countries to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November. External Affairs Minister Professor G.L Peiris said that no country has indicated it will not attend the summit. There had been reports that Canada and a few other countries may boycott the event over human rights concerns, but Minister Peiris said he expects all the countries to be represented. "We want to encourage people to come and see with their own eyes what we have done. Don't be misled by false propaganda," the minister said at a media briefing. Professor Peiris noted that the summit is a good opportunity for Sri Lanka as the country will hold the Commonwealth chairmanship for two years. This will also be the first time in 24 years that an Asian country is hosting the all important summit. Peiris said that the government hopes to market Sri Lanka as a major hub during the summit. Meanwhile, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that foreign journalist looking to cover the event will be granted access if their applications fall within the guidelines of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Several groups including Sri Lankan diplomats overseas have openly said that some journalists who had reported negatively regarding Sri Lanka should not be granted access to cover the summit.