US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1569

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001569 
 
SIPDIS 
 
OFFICIAL INFORMAL 
 
FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  09/09/13 
TAGS: AMGT, CE, MV, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 131 (09/09/03) 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD; REASONS 1.5 B, 
D. 
 
CONTENTS:  PEACE PROCESS UPDATE 
-          DEATH OF WELL-KNOWN BUDDHIST CLERIC 
 
PEACE PROCESS UPDATE 
-------------------- 
 
1.  (C) FYI.  We have the following updates on the peace 
process: 
 
-- Norwegian Ambassador in the east:  Norwegian Ambassador 
Hans Brattskar is in Batticaloa District in the east for a 
familiarization tour, according to Norwegian Embassy 
contacts.  Brattskar met with eastern Tiger military leader 
Karuna late September 8, and urged the LTTE to listen to the 
SLMM and come back to the talks, etc.  Karuna was non- 
committal in his replies. 
 
-- A GSL/LTTE meeting?:  FYI.  A local press report dated 
September 9 stated that Tiger Peace Secretariat chief S. 
Pulithevan and Ambassador Goonetilleke, chief of the GSL's 
Peace Secretariat (and foreign secretary in waiting), 
planned to meet in Geneva this week.  The GSL's Peace 
Secretariat confirmed that Goonetilleke is indeed in 
 
SIPDIS 
Switzerland for a conference on human rights-related issues, 
but said no meeting with the LTTE was planned. 
 
-- Kofi Annan Visit?:  FYI.  There have been reports in the 
local press recently that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan 
was planning to visit Sri Lanka next month.  We talked to 
the UN resident representative's office which said that it 
had not received any information about such a visit.  There 
had also been some reports earlier this year of a possible 
Annan visit, but those did not pan out either. 
 
-- Monitoring/Reviewing?: With regard to comment in 
yesterday's o-i about "reviewing" rather than "monitoring 
and reviewing" the peace process, the ideas which Japanese 
Ambassador Akashi has shared with us use just the term 
"review."  However, we would note that paras 18 and 20 of 
the Tokyo Declaration state that the international community 
will "review and monitor" the progress of the peace process. 
So if it comes down to that, we think those words should be 
acceptable. 
 
DEATH OF WELL-KNOWN BUDDHIST CLERIC 
----------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) FYI.  In a matter that received a lot of press play 
today, just want to flag that Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha 
Nayaka Thero, a well-known Buddhist cleric, died yesterday 
(September 8).  Madihe, 91, was probably one of the top five 
Buddhist clerics in the country (ranking just after the 
heads of the Malwatte and Asgiriya orders, for example), and 
ran a well-known temple complex south of Colombo.  He was 
also involved in founding Buddhist temples elsewhere, 
including one in Washington on 16th St. NW.  Madihe was 
considered a moderate and generally steered clear of 
political issues.  (POL) 
 
LUNSTEAD