A loyalist politician today embarked on a six-day mission to help get the Sri Lankan peace process back on track.
Progressive Unionist Party leader Mr David Ervine travelled to the south Asian country as a guest of US Aid to advise the government and Tamil Tigers on their peace process.
Mr Ervine hoped the Tamils and the government could learn from his experience of working alongside unionists, nationalists and republicans in Northern Ireland.
"Over the past number of years the peace process in Northern Ireland has moved a long, long way," the east Belfast councillor said as he headed to Colombo.
"We have gone though many difficult periods and yet incrementally we have moved well beyond what we could have predicted just years before.
"It is my hope that I can share some of those experiences with the government in Sri Lanka and with the Tamil Tigers to assist efforts towards a durable and successful peace process.
"This is my second trip to Sri Lanka and I'm sure it will prove as productive as my first."
For nearly two decades, Sri Lanka witnessed a bitter ethnic war involving the mainly Hindu Tamils and the Buddhist Sinhalese.
There has been a ceasefire for the last 18 months, enabling talks to take place between the Tamils and the Government.
Former nationalist SDLP leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mr John Hume also visited the country in April to urge Sri Lankans to reach a lasting peace.
PA