Sri Lanka: President to restart bailout talks with IMF in August

Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on Wednesday that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package would restart in August, as the country wrestles with its worst economic crisis in decades.

"We are confident of successfully completing discussions," he said in a speech, in which he also called on lawmakers to come together to form an all-party government.

Wickremesinghe took office last month after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country and then quit, following mass protests over his mishandling of the economy.

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