US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1606

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001606 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  09-15-13 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, PTER, CE, NO, JA, UN, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Donors reaffirm support for peace process at 
Tokyo conference follow-up meeting 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo-SA/INS 9/12/03 class email 
 
-      (B) Colombo-SA/INS 9/11/03 class email 
-      (C) Colombo 1586, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The Ambassador participated in the 
follow-up meeting to the Tokyo conference held on 
September 12 in Colombo.  Japanese Special Envoy Akashi 
chaired the meeting.  In their remarks, donors and 
international agency heads reiterated their support for 
assistance to Sri Lanka, but underscored the need for 
the parties to re-engage in negotiations (see Ref A for 
a press statement circulated after the meeting by the 
Japanese).  Several GSL officials spoke at the meeting, 
underscoring their full support for an immediate return 
to talks.  In a separate September 15 meeting with the 
Ambassador, Akashi reviewed his September 14 meeting 
with the Tigers.  Overall, the follow-up meeting was 
quite useful in sending out a coordinated message to the 
Tigers on the need to return to the talks and a message 
of donor support for the peace process to the Sri Lankan 
public.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Tokyo Follow-up Meeting 
----------------------- 
 
2.  (C) A follow-up meeting to the June Tokyo donors 
conference took place in Colombo on Friday, 
September 12.  Representatives of the governments of 
Norway, Japan, the EU and the U.S. (the four co-chairs 
of the Tokyo conference) participated in the meeting, 
which also included local envoys from Australia, Canada, 
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, 
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.  International 
agencies were also represented, with World Bank, 
International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and 
United Nations representatives in attendance.  The GSL 
was represented at the meeting.  Although invited, the 
Tamil Tigers declined to attend. 
 
3.  (C) In his remarks kicking off the meeting, Japanese 
Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi cited the "resounding 
results" of the Tokyo donors conference and noted the 
need for more progress by the parties in Sri Lanka. 
Citing the linkage between continued donor assistance 
and the peace process, Akashi noted that the September 
12 meeting was a "concrete expression" of donor 
committment to Sri Lanka.  He underlined, however, the 
need for more progress between the two parties before 
substantial development assistance would be forthcoming 
in the north and east.  In a press statement circulated 
after the meeting (see Ref A), the participants welcomed 
the "continuing commitment of both parties to the peace 
process and their continued efforts to resume peace 
talks." 
 
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GSL Remarks 
----------- 
 
4.  (C) Several key Sri Lankan government officials 
involved in peace process issues spoke at the event. 
Highlights of their remarks included: 
 
-- G.L. Peiris, Minister of Enterprise Development and 
chief government spokesman, noted that much of the 
important preliminary work on the peace process had been 
completed, and that Sri Lanka was now "embarking on a 
distinct phase," which he characterized as "challenging 
and daunting," but nonetheless "promising."  Noting the 
six rounds of peace talks that took place from late 2002 
through early 2003, Peiris characterized the Tokyo and 
Oslo Declarations as foundations to build on.  He added 
that he was confident that the Liberation Tigers of 
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sincerely wanted a resolution of the 
conflict.  He went on to state that the GSL looked 
forward to reviewing the LTTE's counter-proposals to the 
government's north/east interim administration proposal 
when they were ready.  Divergences between the GSL's 
proposals and the LTTE's counter-proposals, Peiris said, 
were expected to be "significant," and one key aspect in 
reviewing the proposals would be to align the 
aspirations of the LTTE with established Sri Lankan law. 
Wrapping up, Peiris described the current situation as 
"propitious" for the future of the peace process, and 
stated that he was confident that Sri Lanka could live 
up to the expectations of the donors. 
 
-- Milinda Moragoda, the Minister of Economic Reform, 
noted that the peace process was at a "fragile" point. 
He cited a need to reenergize the process and recommit 
resources.  Moragoda said he felt that support for the 
peace process was waning at the present time, and cited 
the need to take action on implementing reconstruction 
projects to avoid cynicism among the public toward the 
process. 
 
-- Bradman Weerakoon, the Secretary to the Prime 
Minister, and head of the Rehabilitation, Reconciliation 
and Relief Commission for the North and East, noted that 
there had been substantial ground activity since the 
June Tokyo conference, despite what he characterized as 
"slow" movement toward restarting the peace talks. 
Weerakoon cited the continuing return of Internally 
Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their places of origin and 
continued progress on demining as two key areas in which 
the government had been moving forward. 
 
-- Rauf Hakeem, the Minister of Ports and Shipping, and 
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader, emphasized that 
Muslims still supported the peace track.  That said, 
Muslims in the east were still being harassed and 
sometimes killed by the LTTE.  In the meantime, Muslim 
IDPs were still unable to return to their points of 
origin in Jaffna.  He urged continued international 
pressure on the LTTE to accept pluralism in the north 
and east. 
 
------------------------ 
The Ambassador's Remarks 
------------------------ 
 
5.  (C) In his remarks (text provided in Ref B), 
Ambassador Lunstead emphasized that the U.S. strongly 
supported the peace process and he noted the pressing 
need for a resumption of negotiations.  The Ambassador 
commented that the spate of assassinations of Tamils was 
deeply harmful to the process, and he called for the 
LTTE to publicly renounce terrorism in word and deed. 
The Ambassador also noted how crucial it was that the 
LTTE fully adhere to the rulings of the Sri Lanka 
Monitoring Mission (SLMM). 
 
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Other Remarks 
-------------- 
 
6.  (C) Representatives of other donor countries and 
international agencies made the following remarks: 
 
-- Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar reiterated 
Norway's commitment to third party facilitation between 
the GSL and the LTTE on peace process issues, and he 
noted the need for a common mechanism to direct aid to 
the north/east.  Brattskar remarked that the GSL needed 
to take the intiative in rehabilitation and 
reconstruction programs.  (Note:  Norwegian deputy 
Foreign Minister Vidar Helgessen is due to visit Sri 
Lanka later this week.) 
 
-- Miguel Bermeo, Resident Coordinator of the United 
Nations Development Programme, noted that the UN 
remained committed and fully engaged, and stated that 
the UNDP would maintain and increase its level of 
engagement.  Bermeo further cited the urgent need to 
deliver aid to the war-torn north and east, and cited 
the level of commitment to human rights by the parties 
as a key factor for the peace process. 
 
-- Italian Ambassador Salvatore Zotta (speaking for the 
EU) stressed the need for an "inclusive" peace process, 
that would take into consideration Tamil, Muslim, and 
Sinhalese civil society.  He stressed the EU's strong 
support for Norway's facilitation efforts. 
 
-- Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director John 
Cooney cited progress on the ADB-funded north-south "A9" 
road project.  Cooney noted, however, that further ADB 
projects would be subject to substantial progress in the 
peace process. 
 
-- IMF representative Jeremy Carter noted that Sri 
Lanka's economic development indices were getting more 
positive, but urged the GSL to be "brave on economic 
reform".  Carter further noted that sustainable economic 
development required a sustainable peace. 
 
----------------------- 
Akashi Meets the Tigers 
----------------------- 
 
7. (C) Akashi and Japanese Ambassador Otsuka briefed 
Ambassador and other co-chairs Sept 15 on his talks the 
previous day with the LTTE's Thamilchelvam.  Akashi said 
that Thamilchelvam, in the absence of Balasingham, 
seemed clearly in charge and much more self-confident. 
At the same time, Thamilchelvam also spoke from a rigid 
position and appeared unable or unwilling to make any 
decisions himself -- in Otsuka's words, he was "His 
Master's Voice."  Thamilchelvam said the Tigers' Interim 
Administration Proposal would be "tangible and 
pragmatic," and that the international community would 
be able to support it.  He dismissed Akashi's contention 
that, with negotiations on an interim administration 
liable to drag on for months, the parties should agree 
to an ad hoc procedure to administer humanitarian 
assistance.  On human rights ("The Tigers have not 
murdered anyone"), child soldiers ("What is their 
motivation to join the Tigers?") and on illegal camps 
("The camp was there earlier and hence not illegal"), 
Thamilchelvam showed no flexibility. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
8.  (C) Overall, the follow-up meeting was quite useful 
in sending out a coordinated message to the Tigers on 
the need for the group to return to the peace talks. 
The LTTE also no doubt got the message that development 
assistance to the north and east would not be 
forthcoming if it did not re-commit itself to the 
process.  At the same time, given the generous and 
favorable press coverage it received, the meeting was 
also important in sending out a message of donor support 
for the peace process.  This message was an important 
one for the Sri Lankan public to hear.  Although it 
still strongly supports the GSL's peace process efforts, 
the public is understandably worried about LTTE 
activities and intentions given the group's track 
record. 
 
9.  (C) Donors and international organizations all 
agreed in principle that development assistance and 
progress in the peace talks were linked, and that 
humanitarian/rehabilitation aid in the North and East 
should continue even though reconstruction would have to 
wait.  Underneath, however, there are both definitional 
and policy issues.  The Tokyo Declaration stated that 
the international community would "monitor and review" 
progress in the peace process, and that "Japan, in 
cooperation with the U.S. and EU, will undertake 
necessary consultations to establish the modalities for 
this purpose as early as possible."  We will work with 
the Japanese and the EU to try to develop a structure 
and process to do so. 
 
10.  (C) The Akashi/Thamilchelvam meeting largely speaks 
for itself.  What is not clear is if Thamilchelvam's 
rigid stance indicates that the Tigers will not 
negotiate at all, or if it just means that negotiations 
will be more difficult and protracted, with 
Thamilchelvam unable to take decisions himself as 
Balasingham did.  END COMMENT. 
 
11.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD