Jun 16, Colombo: A UK delegation from the Consular Corps of London (CCL) visiting Sri Lanka has said that reconstruction, reconciliation and elections in the North of the country should be held to stabilize democracy in the area.

The five-member CCL delegation, touring the country from June 11-19, has told the press that those who support separatism and the LTTE should understand the importance of democracy.

Executive member of CCL, Bernard Silver, who is the Consul General for the Republic of Seychelles, has commended the government's reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the once war-torn areas.

He has observed that while reconstruction and reconciliation take place, fully fledged normalcy could not be expected until elections are held with the representatives elected through democratic means.

"Political changes cannot be brought through violence, but could be made through elections," he has added.

According to Silver, the visiting delegation believed the government has a fair chance of holding free and fair elections.

The Consular Corps of London, established in 1902, is an association of all Consuls General and consular officers, both career and honorary, working in London.