Colombo, June 6, 2003. I am delighted to be here today. This is my second visit to Sri Lanka, and I am grateful to all of my hosts for their kindness since I arrived on Wednesday.

U.S. assistance to Sri Lanka dates back to 1956 when the mission signed its first bilateral agreement with the Government of Ceylon. Since then, the United States has provided nearly two billion dollars in support to Sri Lanka. USAID assistance accounts for the largest portion of these funds.

Tomorrow I travel to Tokyo to join the U.S. delegation at the Donors' Conference on Reconstruction and Redevelopment of Sri Lanka. My government continues to hope that the LTTE will be at the table. Its absence from these important proceedings will represent a lost opportunity for the people of Sri Lanka, particularly those in the north and the east, whom the Tigers claim to represent. It will also send the wrong signal to those within the international community who will gather to pledge their support to a united Sri Lanka.

I am encouraged by what I have seen during my three days in Sri Lanka. In particular, I have been impressed by its people and their resilience. I saw this in the most war-torn sections of the Chavakachcheri area, where the U.S. Agency for International Development is working to rebuild schools. I saw this where U.S. Government-funded demining teams are restoring 250,000 square meters of land to international standards. I saw this in the South, flying over communities devastated by floods and landslides.

USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has already donated 50,000 dollars to provide relief to flood-affected families. The Sri Lankan Red Cross is distributing this relief.

Although recovery and reconstruction is proceeding admirably, I am told that access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities continues to be a life-threatening problem. Therefore, I'm pleased to announce today that the U.S. Government is providing an additional 250,000 thousand dollars to provide clean drinking for 100,000 residents of Ratnapura, Galle, Matara and Kalutara districts. This grant will support World Vision's efforts to clean and repair wells in some of the worst-affected areas of those four districts.

Sustainable peace in Sri Lanka will require more than a political settlement, more than rebuilding trust among communities. It will also depend on economic growth. That is why USAID initiatives will continue to focus on economic growth in Sri Lanka by encouraging public-private partnerships and by supporting key economic reforms. These partnerships and reforms will, in turn, increase Sri Lanka's global competitiveness.Let me conclude somewhere near where I started: focusing on people. The Government and the LTTE must do the same. By far, Sri Lanka's most valuable resource is its human capital. Two decades of conflict have widened the gap between aspirations and opportunities. It will take commitment - from Government and the opposition, from the private sector and civil society, and, of course, from the LTTE -- working together to ensure all Sri Lankans a future of peace and prosperity for themselves and for their children.