The common opposition's candidate for the presidential elections next month Maithripala Sirisena says he will restore all military decorations and civic rights of former army commander Sarath Fonseka, who was arrested and stripped of his honours after he ran against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010.

“I will restore all rights and military decorations of former army commander within hours of my election,” Sirisena said.

The presidential candidate said Gen Fonseka, who is thought to hold command responsibility for mass atrocities committed in 2009, is "venerated" by the masses.

"The Rajapaksas disparaged the general and attempted to paint a black picture of the war hero, but they could not hoodwink the masses and today General Fonseka is venerated by the members of the security forces and masses," he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa says he will remain president of Sri Lanka after next month's presidential elections, despite being challenged by someone from his own party.

Rajapaksa,addressing a rally in Embilipitiya, said he does not need to sign multiple MoUs with his coalition partners, unlike his challenger Maithripala Sirisena.

He said his government is united behind one cause and it is thus unnecessary to sign separate agreements with his constituent parties.

The Catholic Church has reiterated calls for Sri Lankan authorities to remove presidential election posters which feature the image of Pope Francis with incumbent Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, ahead of a visit by the Pope next month.

The Church’s statement comes after the director for the media and information center for the Pope’s visit urged Sri Lankan parties last week to refrain from using the pope’s image to further their election campaigns.

(Pictures: Nivens Photos)

A memorial sculpture, commemorating Tamils who died in the war, has been unveiled in the German town of Essen, in North-Rhine Westphalia state.

Hundreds of German Tamils attended the unveiling ceremony in a cemetery in the Essen suburb of Fulerum on Saturday, two days after Maveerar Naal was held in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle.

The Sri Lankan government has welcomed the decision by the European Union to appeal October's judgement by the General Court of the European Union, to annul the European Council's measures taken against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was designated as a terrorist organisation in 2006.

In a statement, the country's Ministry of External Affairs said that activities by the LTTE continued in Europe and added the government remained committed to  providing further assistance to the EU in regards to this matter.

"The action taken by the Council of the European Union demonstrates commitment for the fight against terrorism at a time when this threat is increasingly posing a significant challenge to global peace and stability, necessitating a collective and vigorous international effort to counter," the MEA statement said.

The Indian government is satisfied with bilateral ties with Sri Lanka, its National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, said to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, according to the Sri Lankan government's official news portal.