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United States &
Tamil EELAM Freedom Struggle
US Pacific Fleet Commander meets Sri Lanka
Defence Secretary
Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence, 17 January 2008
[see also
1.
U.S. Military Assistance to Sri Lanka Continues, 8 November
2007 and 2.Peace
& Surveillance:
US gifts Coast Guard Surveillance Vessel, USS Courageous to Sri
Lanka 30 March 2005]
States Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Robert F.
Willard today (January 17) met Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa
at the Ministry of Defence, Colombo. He was accompanied by Commander
of the Navy Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, US ambassador Robert
Blake and a high-level U.S. Navy delegation.
The discussion between Defence Secretary Rajapaksa and Admiral
Willard focused on strengthening the bilateral relations between defence
establishments of the two countries.
Admiral Robert F. Willard is the commander of the world's larges naval command
encompassing 100 million square miles and approximately 178 ships, 1500 aircraft
and 160,000 sailors, Marines and civilians. He assumed command of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet in May 2007. During his career, Admiral Willard had commanded the
amphibious flagship, USS Tripoli and the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln.
Also, he was as an F-14 aviator, who had served in a variety of fighter
squadrons and aircraft carriers and commanded the Screaming Eagles of Fighter
squadron 51 (VF -51).
Full text of the press release issued by the U.S. Embassy
in Colombo
U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Visits Sri Lanka to Review Maritime Cooperation
Colombo, January 18, 2008: Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet, visited Sri Lanka January 17-18 as part of a regional trip to
south Asia to meet with his naval counterparts. Admiral Willard reviewed
ongoing maritime cooperation, including naval training and exchanges,
between the United States and Sri Lanka. In Colombo, he met with senior
military officials and called on President Rajapaksa. In addition, he
visited Trincomalee to discuss U.S.-Sri Lankan cooperation against
LTTE terrorism.
Admiral Willard reaffirmed the support of the United States to Sri Lanka in
defending against terrorist activity through cooperation on maritime
security. He noted that improvements
in human rights protection could lead to enhanced cooperation.
Comment by
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