EXCLUSIVE: Sri Lankan apologies to Nepal over false claimed of peace mediator

"  Prime Minister advised the Minister to be wary of future false claims as this was not the first time it has happened and was not conducive to diplomatic relations between the two countries, either internationally or locally."

by Our Correspondent in Kathmandu

(December 22, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lanka Guardian has reliably learned that one of the Deputy Ministers of External Affairs in Colombo, Mr. Neomal Perera has apologied to the Government of Nepal behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka over false claims that Nepal has invited President Mahinda Rajapakse to be a peace mediator a few weeks ago when the two presidents met in Beijing.

According to a source in Kathmandu the Sri Lankan deputy minister has pleaded with the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal, to forgive the Sri Lankan government over the false claim.

However the Prime Minister advised the Minister to be wary of future false claims as this was not the first time it has happened and was not conducive to diplomatic relations between the two countries, either internationally or locally.

"There is some misunderstanding, Sir, please forgive us," the Lankan minister replied.

The Sri Lanka Guardian source in Kathmandu also told us that the minister had requested that no mention of this be made to the media.

The Deputy Minister of External Affairs was also in Nepal on a 3 day visit to attend the 3rd South Asia Economic Summit being held in Kathmandu from 17th December to 19th December 2010.