US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1762

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001762 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL: 10-10-13 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PINS, PHUM, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Tamil MPs candidly discuss peace process 
issues with Ambassador 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1708, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  The Ambassador met October 9 with key 
MPs from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).  Asked for 
their views on the peace process, the MPs said the 
inability of internally displaced persons to return to 
their lands was causing great discontent.  The MPs said 
progress toward peace would require a cooperative 
relationship between the President and Prime Minister. 
They said the LTTE may not have understood the U.S. 
public message at the time of FTO redesignation.  While 
the MPs expressed reservations about some peace process 
issues, they appeared relatively upbeat.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) MEETING WITH TAMIL MPS:  On October 9, 
Ambassador Lunstead met with three key MPs from the 
Tamil National Alliance (TNA):  Gajan Ponnambalam, N. 
Raviraj, and R. Sampathan.  Suresh Premachandran, the 
leader of a faction of the Eelam People's Revolutionary 
Liberation Front (EPRLF), and a member of the TNA, also 
attended, although Premachandran is not a current MP. 
Poloff and pol FSN also attended the meeting. 
 
3.  (C) VIEWS ON THE PEACE PROCESS:  Asked for their 
views on the status of the peace process, the MPs 
expressed concern over the continuing inability of 
internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their 
lands in the Sri Lanka military's "High Security Zones" 
and surrounding areas in the north and east.  Sampathan 
and Ponnambalam stressed the importance of this issue to 
the Tamil population, and said that in response to 
tremendous pressure on the issue from the TNA's 
constituency, the TNA was considering possible campaigns 
of civil disobedience. 
 
4.  (C) Turning to interim administration of the 
north/east, the MPs noted that the biggest task of any 
interim setup would be to create conditions of normalcy 
for people living in those areas.  Raviraj commented 
that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could 
use their role in an interim administration in a 
positive way as a "stepping stone" to the political 
mainstream.  Sampathan underscored the need for interim 
administration of aid in the north/east, adding that 
peace dividends were not reaching Tamil people in line 
with their expectations.  Sampathan further opined that 
the LTTE's counterproposals would likely include 
requests for increased powers in the areas of police, 
land management, and finance in the area of aid 
administration. Sampathan and Ponnambalam said that they 
were convinced the LTTE was serious about seeking peace, 
but that the LTTE cadres were much more skeptical. 
 
5.  (C) COMMENTS ON COHABITATION:  Regarding 
cohabitation tensions, Sampathan commented that the lack 
of a consensus in the Sinhalese political parties -- as 
exemplified by the tense relationship between the 
President and Prime Minister -- was a serious problem 
for the peace process, and would likely make the LTTE 
question whether the GSL could bring about reforms 
necessary for the peace process.  In particular, the PM 
and the President would have to agree to any interim 
administration deal.  Sampathan said the TNA was 
reluctant to deal directly with the President, as they 
did not want the PM to think they were dealing behind 
his back.  Ambassador noted that the President and PM 
were both personally dedicated to peace, and that this 
might help them to make a deal. 
 
6.  (C) DID THE TIGERS GET THE MESSAGE?:  When asked if 
the LTTE had fully understood that, despite their recent 
U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) redesignation, 
the group could be removed from the list if it changed 
its behavior, Sampathan said he understood the U.S. 
message, but he feared the Tigers did not.  Ponnambalam 
said that he also believed the LTTE did not fully 
understand the message the U.S. was sending, adding that 
if the U.S. were to remove the ban, he believed the LTTE 
would be more flexible in the peace process.  On October 
9, the pro-LTTE website "TamilNet" carried an article on 
the MPs' meeting with the Ambassador.  The article 
quoted the MPs as saying the redesignation was "sad to 
note" at a time when the LTTE had "committed itself to 
finding a political solution to the conflict." 
 
 7.  (C) COMMENT:  TNA members are loath to criticize 
the LTTE, and their suggestion that the U.S. rescind the 
FTO designation comes as no surprise -- and not one we 
need to pay much attention to.  We were struck, however, 
by their contention that our intended message to the 
LTTE may not be getting through.  See Septel on USAID 
meeting with LTTE officials in Trincomalee in which the 
comments of LTTE officials suggest they got the 
redesignation message perfectly.  Their anguish about 
the lack of resettlement of IDPs seemed quite genuine. 
Their comment about a possible civil disobedience 
campaign is disturbing.  The picture of the Sri Lankan 
military facing down peaceful Tamil protesters would 
certainly not advance the peace process.  END COMMENT. 
 
 8.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD