* French government to support Sri Lanka
Friday, February 27, 2009, 14:46 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Feb 27, Colombo: The government of France has expressed its willingness to provide humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, especially for the Northern region of the country, the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka said.

French Foreign Minister Dr. Bernard Kouchner has expressed his government's willingness to support Sri Lanka during a special telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday evening.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Dr. Kouchner has expressed his satisfaction at the imminent conclusion to the conflict in Northern Sri Lanka and inquired on how best France could extend humanitarian assistance.

Kouchner has pointed out the possibility of making available the services of the French Red Cross to Sri Lanka.

The two ministers have agreed to further discuss the related modalities with regard to the French offer, Foreign ministry said in a statement.

During this conversation Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has informed his French counterpart of the current situation in Northern battlefields, especially, the LTTE's use of civilians as human shields.