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Amid wide speculation, President Mahinda Rajapaksa suddenly flew to London last afternoon for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and others, a government source said. Accompanying him were Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Assistant Secretary Gamini Senarath, while Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera who left for London on Monday night was also expected to join the President for talks with British leaders. The meeting between the British Prime Minister and President Rajapaksa is to take place out of London, at a private residence of Prime Minister Blair. Diplomatic sources indicated that President Rajapaksa might invite Britain to play a bigger role in Sri Lanka`s peace process. The two leaders were also expected to discuss means of enhancing defence co-operation between the two countries, especially the two Navies. The British Naval chief Sir Jonathan Band who visited Colombo last June reportedly discussed the subject when he met the Sri Lankan President. President Rajapaksa is expected to return to Colombo on Thursday. Meanwhile Minister Mangala Samaraweera is tipped to attend the Non-Align Movement meeting to be held in Havana early next month and then proceed to New York to attend UN sessions which President Rajapaksa also is scheduled to address. The President had appointed the following Ministers to act on his behalf until his return from London. Messrs Maithripala Sirisena as Defence and Law and Order, Keheliya Rambukwella as Plan Implementation, D. M. Dassanayake as Nation Building and Development, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as Finance and Tissa Karaliyadda as Religious Affairs Ministers.
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