Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has submitted an application to the US Embassy in Colombo on March 06 seeking to renounce his US citizenship, 'Aruna' newspaper reported today. 

The newspaper, owned by Dilith Jayaweera who is a close associate of Rajapaksa, said the former Defence Secretary's application would be considered by the US government. 

In an interview with the same newspaper recently, Rajapaksa said his dual citizenship would not be an obstacle to his presidential bid. 

The newspaper added that Rajapaksa expressed optimism about his candidacy during the interview, as he had already submitted his application to the US embassy.

However, it is not immediately clear as to how long the entire process will take. According to the Constitution, the Presidential election should be announced in November, this year.

Meanwhile, the 'Sunday Lankadeepa' newspaper reported this weekend that the SLPP had decided to field the former Defence Secretary as the party's Presidential candidate at the next election. 

The report said the decision has been made by members of the Rajapaksa family at a discussion earlier this week.