Former Finance Minister Ravi Kar-unanayake yesterday said Sri Lanka’s deal with the Inter-national Monetary Fund to unlock the $ 2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) will be mainly building international reserves to meet external payments and support of macroeconomic adjustment and structural reform programs amidst economic and political crises. Karunanayake, who in 2019 effectively handled $ 1.5 billion IMF bailout deal to boost foreign exchange reserves and avert a balance of payments problem, noted that it will be a catalyst to generate additional international financial assistance in three ways