US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells is likely to discuss the stalled Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant agreement during her visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow (13). Wells will travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan, from 13-22 January. From 13-14 January, she will be in Colombo to meet with senior government officials and members of civil society to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including shared interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific region that fosters prosperity, democracy, justice, and human rights. US sources said that she is likely to discuss the importance of the MCC agreement which the new Government has so far refused to sign. Sources however said that the US will give Sri Lanka time to consider the agreement as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a four-member committee to study the deal and propose further action. From Sri Lanka, Wells will travel to New Delhi, India, from 15-18 January, to attend the Raisina Dialogue. She will also meet with senior government officials to advance the US-India strategic global partnership following the success of the 2019 US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, and will discuss topics of mutual interest with members of the business community and civil society. – Easwaran Rutnam