US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1583

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001583 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/UBI 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  09-10-13 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, CE, UK, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  British shadow foreign secretary's meeting 
with the Tamil Tigers 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1565, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) In a September 5 meeting with the Ambassador, 
British High Commissioner Stephen Evans provided a 
readout of a recent meeting between Michael Ancram, the 
shadow foreign secretary, and Liberation Tigers of Tamil 
Eelam (LTTE) representatives.  Evans said Ancram, joined 
by Lord Ashcroft, a former Conservative Party official, 
had met with S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE's political 
chief, and Karuna, the group's eastern military 
commander, on September 4 at a hotel near Colombo's 
international airport.  The venue was convenient for the 
LTTE officials, who had just arrived back from visits to 
France and Switzerland, and were transiting back to the 
LTTE-controlled Vanni region in northern Sri Lanka. 
 
2.  (C) Reviewing the substance of the meeting, Evans, 
who was also present, stated that Thamilchelvam had 
remarked that the Tigers' recent in-house meeting in 
Paris had gone well (see Reftels).  The Tigers had 
appreciated the advice given by the collection of (pro- 
LTTE Tamil) legal experts who were in Paris for the 
discussions.  Thamilchelvam confirmed that those present 
in Paris had developed draft counter-proposals to the 
GSL's north/east interim administration proposal made in 
July.  After review by the LTTE leadership in the Vanni, 
Thamichelvam related that the LTTE would provide a 
consolidated response to the government via the 
Norwegian facilitators within the next four weeks. 
 
3.  (C) Evans said Thamilchelvam was a bit vague 
regarding the nature of the counter-proposals 
themselves.  He told Ancram, however, that the Tigers 
would make clear to the GSL that it wanted an "interim 
administration with teeth."  The LTTE also wanted the 
interim administration to be "transparent and 
accountable."  Thamilchelvam went on to indicate that 
the counter-proposals would be based at least in part on 
federalist models of government existing elsewhere, such 
as in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. 
 
4.  (C) COMMENT:  Meeting Ancram, one of the highest 
level western politicians the group has ever met, was 
certainly quite a coup for the Tigers and pro-LTTE press 
outlets highlighted the meeting.  Commenting on 
Thamilchelvam's remarks, Evans told the Ambassador that 
the Tigers had taken care to place a spotlight on their 
study of other countries' federalist models.  He 
predicted that the LTTE's counter-proposals might 
represent a challenge for the GSL because the group 
might be planning to point to other models of 
government, asking why Sri Lanka should maintain its 
unitary system and not establish a looser federal 
construct.  In light of Thamilchelvam's comments, Evans 
went on to predict that the LTTE's counter-proposals 
would be "outside of Sri Lanka's current constitution." 
END COMMENT. 
 
5.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD