Meeting not prompted by any specific concerns or statements, says US embassy

The US embassy said yesterday that this week’s meeting with the top management of the Election Commission hadn’t been influenced by what its spokesperson called any specific concerns or statements.

Asked whether there had been previous meetings with the EC during Mahinda Deshapriya’s tenure as its Chairman or after and why the Ambassador Julie Chung had met the EC members on Tuesday, the spokesperson said: “(a) Ambassador Chung regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders involved in Sri Lanka’s political process to listen, learn, and foster understanding.

(b)This week’s meeting with the Elections Commissioner was one of many pre-planned meetings and was not prompted by any specific concerns or statements and (c) Around the world, embassy officials conduct informational meetings like this one as a regular part of our efforts to stay informed and support democratic processes.

The US embassy said yesterday that this week’s meeting with the top management of the Election Commission hadn’t been influenced by what its spokesperson called any specific concerns or statements.

Asked whether there had been previous meetings with the EC during Mahinda Deshapriya’s tenure as its Chairman or after and why the Ambassador Julie Chung met the new EC suddenly on Tuesday, the spokesperson said: “(a) Ambassador Chung regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders involved in Sri Lanka’s political process to listen, learn, and foster understanding.

(b)This week’s meeting with the Elections Commissioner was one of many pre-planned meetings and was not prompted by any specific concerns or statements and (c) Around the world, embassy officials conduct informational meetings like this one as a regular part of our efforts to stay informed and support democratic processes.