Patricia Butenis, US diplomat in SL

US ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia Butenis has said that her country will remain engaged with Sri Lanka, despite some differences of opinion on the political front, a media report said.

Butenis in a message release to mark America’s Independence Day has also said that the Sri Lankan government has made progress on the resettlement issue and post-war development.

“When I arrived in 2009, the war had just ended and there were literally hundreds of thousands of displaced people that needed to be resettled. Now that’s down to just a few thousand. The government has also made great progress with the rehabilitation of ex-combatants. Demining is another significant achievement,” Xinhua quoted Butenis as saying.

However the Colombo based US diplomat has said that there is lot to be done in the above aspect.

Sri Lanka, during the early part of this year had to fight against a US sponsored resolution that the country lost at the UN Human Rights Council.

“On the political level, we have had to weather some storms. But we’ve come through, and I am certain of our future cooperation. As a friend, the United states will continue to partner with Sri Lanka as it moves from a post-conflict nation to one truly at peace with others and with itself,” Butenis was quoted saying by Xinhua.

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