Rome, 05 November.

An inter-religious delegation from Sri Lanka is on a four-nation tour in a bid to win support to convince the European Union to change its stance on the awarding of GSP+ concessions to Sri Lanka, due to be taken up for consideration by the EU Council in Brussels.

The delegation, arrived in Rome Tuesday (Nov. 3), comprises the Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Nayaka Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Bellanwila Raja Maha Viharaya, Ven. Kamburugamuwe Vajira Thero, Rt. Rev. Malcom Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, Hindu Vidyanith Brahmasri Kuhananda Sarma, Alhaj Moulavi Viyas Mohamed J.P., Coordinator of Muslim Affairs to the President and Rev. Fr. Damian Fernando. From Rome it will travel to Brussels, Paris and London to meet the respective Foreign Ministers of Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.

In Rome yesterday, the delegation met Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State and Foreign Minister of the Holy See and Today they had a private audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, followed by a meeting with Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini.