COLOMBO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A statue of late South African President Nelson Mandela will be erected in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, where battles were fought between the Sri Lankan military and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before 2009.

Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray told Xinhua on Thursday that South African High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Robina P. Marks made the request to put up the statue.

Cooray said that he was delighted to receive such a proposal from South Africa at a meeting he had with the high commissioner. Mandela was a symbol of peace in the world, and therefore he would take steps to implement the request.

Sri Lanka fought a war with the LTTE rebels for 30 years until it ended in 2009. According to the governor, efforts were underway to bring about reconciliation among different communities living in the country.

"We can learn lessons from South Africa which ended apartheid. The Sri Lankan political and civil society leaders have visited South Africa to learn from their experience," he said.

"I am happy that South Africa offered to put up a statue of Mandela in the city of Jaffna," he said.