Minister Mangala Samaraweera to leave to Washington

Colombo (News1st): Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera will leave for Washington on Jan 11 to get the IMF External Fund Facility back on track. Issuing a release the Ministry of Finance says the minister will meet Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Deputy Managing Director Mitsuhiro Furusawa, Director of the Asia Pacific Department Chanyong Rhee, Team Leader Manuel Goretti and other members of the IMF Sri Lanka Team. Minister Samaraweera is expected to signal the Government's intention to continue with IMF reform program. A key objective will be to negotiate the trajectory of continued fiscal consolidation while accommodating policies to support growth and strengthen the social safety net. The Finance Minister's delegation to IMF will include the Governor of the Central Bank, Secretary to the Treasury and other key officials of the Central Bank and the Treasury.