Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he was perturbed by a letter sent to him by the Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Dr. Hans Wijesuriya.
The letter had raised concerns over the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement with Sri Lanka.
In response to the letter, the Secretary to the Prime Minister said that Wickremesinghe was perturbed over the ignorance of the CCC on the contents of the US agreement.
He said that the CCC had been briefed on several occasions over the negotiations being held on the MCC deal.
The Prime Minister also raised concerns over the politicisation of the CCC after Dr. Hans Wijesuriya assumed the role of Chairman recently.
Last week, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce issued a public statement expressing concerns with regard to the increasing levels of speculation among its Membership and society at large on the consequences surrounding the proposed Status of Forces Agreement and the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement.
The Ceylon Chamber requested the Government of Sri Lanka to provide an enhanced level of transparency with respect to these agreements and their potential consequences and also to clarify the exact position with regards to the current status of the negotiations and/or execution of these agreements. (Colombo Gazette)