Kohona’s next step

(November, 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona is likely to take up a senior diplomatic position as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States shortly.

The appointment is following a misunderstanding between the Secretary and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, which has been prevailing in the Ministry for some time.

It is said that Minister Bogollagama had said that he wouldn’t be able to work with Dr. Kohona and requested that he be moved out of the Ministry.

Since the Sri Lankan Ambassador to US, Bernard Gunatilleke will be relinquishing his duties in the early part of next year, it is likely that Kohona will be taking up this position.

Dr. Kohona is the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Sri Lanka and former Secretary-General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP). He was also a member of the Government delegation at the first round of talks held in Geneva, Switzerland with the LTTE in February 2006.

Dr. Kohona was the Chief of the UN Treaty Section in New York. He held this position since 1995. Prior to joining the UN, Dr. Kohona was with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia. He returned to the country on the invitation of the President Rajapakse.

Dr. Kohona who hails from Matale, Kandy, received his secondary education in Sri Lanka at St. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia, Colombo.He obtained a Doctorate from Cambridge University, UK, for the thesis – ‘The Regulation of International Trade through Law,’ subsequently published by Kluwer, Netherlands. He is also an Attorney-at-Law, Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. LL.M from the Australian National University. He proceeded to obtain a LL.B (Hons) at the University of Sri Lanka.