Sri Lanka to hold Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka to host the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) with the participation of speakers from 54 countries, a senior official said on Friday.

Deputy Speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament Chandima Weerakkody said the CPA annual conference would be a precursor to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which is scheduled to be held in 2013.

Over 600 delegates including speakers and parliamentarians from 179 CPA branches have confirmed participation together with more than 100 observers, Weerakkody said.

Issues relating to security, democracy, education and poverty of the Commonwealth countries are to be discussed at the eight-day conference from September 7, Weerakkody said.

Sri Lanka is to use the international event to showcase the post-war situation of the country by taking representatives to visit the northern peninsula where three decades of civil war occurred.

"The north tour is in addition to four tourist attraction destinations," Weerakkody said.

Weerakkody said earlier opposition by some foreign nation against holding the conference in Sri Lanka has been settled.

Earlier some parliamentarians from Canada opposed the conference being held in Colombo, threatening to boycott it. Canada has claimed Sri Lanka should be accountable for human rights violations and allegations of war crimes.