9/28/2007
By Walter Jayawardene

Photo Mrs. Priyanga Wickramasuriya

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be accorded a civic welcome of the City of Los Angeles on Friday the 28th by its Mayor Antonio Villargoisa at the City Hall and the mayor will hold important discussions about developing cultural and economic relations between the city and Sri Lanka.

The President is also scheduled to meet with the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles, the governing body of the County of Los Angeles for similar talks. He arrived at the Peninsula Beverley Hills Hotel with a small delegation accompanied by Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Washington DC, Bernard Goonetilleke and consul General Jaliya Wickramasuriya and received at a garlanding ceremony at the reception hall.

Mrs. Priyanga Wickramasuriya received him on behalf of the 100,000 strong Sri Lankan expatriate community, in the greater Los Angeles area by garlanding him with a violet coloured orchid flowers. Monks led by Venerable Walpola Piyananda chanted Pirith to bless him.

The greater Los Angeles area is populated by approximately 17 million people only 2 million less than the current estimated population of the whole island.

President Rajapaksa will discuss the large presence of the Sri Lankan expatriate community in California and that of Los Angeles , their well accepted credentials and contribution to the economic and social conditions of the USA, the Consul General's office in Los Angeles, said.

The President will also request the Board of supervisors to explore any possible avenues to undertake further training of Sri Lankan nurses graduated from Nursing Schools in Sri Lanka to suit California health care requirements to absorb them to the California Health service in the long run to meet the acute demand in the sector , Consul general's office further said.

President Rajapaksa will also discuss with Mayor Antonia Villargoisa at the City Hall the possibilities of establishing the sister city concept between Los Angeles and a City nominated in Sri Lanka to build up understanding and cooperation on education cultural and community development.

The Consul General's office in Los Angeles said economic relations with the city will be very important to Sri Lanka since the city's economy is driven by international trade , entertainment, aerospace , technology petroleum, fashion apparel and tourism. One of the leading tea sales companies in the United States The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is also headquartered in the city.