US envoy: ‘We encourage meaningful progress at IMF’

COLOMBO: US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said she is looking forward to working with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and that his appointment and “the quick formation of an inclusive government are first steps to addressing the crisis and promoting stability.”

“We encourage meaningful progress at the IMF and long-term solutions that meet the needs of all Sri Lankans,” she said in a tweet.

Buddhist and Catholic clergy earlier objected to Wickremesinghe’s selection.

“This decision has been taken totally disregarding the aspirations of the people who are protesting today. The protests can only get worse by this decision,” said the Rev. Omalpe Sobitha a senior Buddhist monk.

Catholic Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said for the country to move forward from the crisis, “we need a complete change of the system.”

Political analyst Ranga Jayasuriya said by appointing Wickremesinghe as prime minister, “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not put out the fire, but added fuel on it.”

“People would be angrier with this snub of appointing a man who has no public support,” Jayasuriya tweeted.