At a series of meetings held in Brussels, the current situation in Sri Lanka was discussed with the senior Officials of the Human Rights & Democratization Unit, Humanitarian Aid Unit (ECHO 3), EuropeAid Co-operation Unit, External Relations Directorate General, all of the European Commission and of  the Human Rights Unit of the European Parliament.  These meetings were followed by two meetings with Mr. James Moran, Director/Directorate H-Asia (Except Japan & Korea), External Relations Directorate General of the European Commission, after which the Delegation had a informative discussion with Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations & European Neighbourhood Policy of the European Commission.

Among the issues discussed were progress in the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), the current status of the peace process in relations with the LTTE and the recent visits of Madam Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Mr. Manfred Novak, Special Rapporteur in the context of measures taken and proposals for further strengthening human rights in Sri Lanka.

The Delegation was able to clarify the situation with regard to various concerns that were raised.  It was agreed that a continuing dialogue was important to ensure constructive engagements with Sri Lanka by the EU and Officials were invited to seek further  clarification on relevant matters in order to ensure accuracy and balance.