Sri Lanka hopes to sign new IMF staff-level agreement: president

COLOMBO, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday that the government hopes to sign a new staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by Nov. 23.
Delivering the new government’s policy statement at the commencement of the 10th parliament, Dissanayake said breaking away from the IMF agreement is not an option for the country.
The president said that there was a delay in the third review, initially scheduled for September, owing to the recent elections.
He said that soon after the Nov. 14 parliamentary election, the IMF resumed discussions with the government and they are hopeful of finalizing the staff-level agreement within this week. ■