US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1861

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001861 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/NB; NSC FOR 
E. MILLARD 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:    DECL:  10-29-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Norwegians sending placeholder response to 
President on request for removal of chief monitor 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1858, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Charge' d'Affaires James F. Entwistle. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) Norway is sending a letter to President 
Kumaratunga informing her that it is reviewing her 
demand that chief monitor Tellefsen be fired and that 
the GoN will prepare its own report on the initial 
October 16 incident which sparked the controversy.  The 
Norwegian Ambassador told the Charge' that the GoN is 
playing for time, hoping the matter will blow over. 
Tellefsen, in the meantime, is returning to Norway for 
consultations.  Tamils are exasperated with the 
President, but the Tigers are mum so far (as the 
Norwegians have asked them to be).  Although her demand 
has left a bad taste, it is positive that the Tigers' 
long-awaited plans on unveiling their power-sharing 
ideas appear to be moving ahead as scheduled.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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Norway sending Reply 
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2.  (C) The Norwegian government is sending a letter to 
President Kumaratunga informing her that it is reviewing 
her demand that the chief of the Sri Lanka Monitoring 
Mission (SLMM) Tryggve Tellefsen be fired for 
purportedly being pro-Tamil Tiger (See Reftels). 
(Note:  This is the second letter the GoN is sending to 
the President after her demand that Tellefsen be 
removed.  A short letter confirming receipt of the 
President's letter on the matter was sent earlier this 
week.)  In an October 28 conversation with the Charge', 
Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar said the latest 
letter was basically a placeholder, informing the 
President that the GoN was carefully reviewing her 
demand.  The letter noted that Norway would prepare its 
own report on the original October 16 incident which 
sparked the controversy.  (Note:  Per Reftels, the 
October 16 incident involved a SLMM officer's phone call 
to the Tigers asking the group about reports that one of 
its arms resupply ships had been spotted off the 
northeast coast.)  In doing so, the GoN would have to 
consult with the GSL Ministry of Defense, the LTTE, and 
the other Nordic countries that have provided monitors 
to the SLMM. 
 
3.  (C) Brattskar related that he was meeting President 
Kumaratunga late October 29 to deliver the letter and 
review the situation further.  He confided to the 
Charge' that Norway was essentially "playing for time," 
hoping that the President would let the matter blow over 
without igniting more controversy.  After the letter is 
delivered, the Norwegian Embassy plans to issue a press 
statement summarizing its contents, Brattskar said. 
 
4.  (SBU) In another development, Kjersti Tromsdahl told 
poloff that October 29 press reports that SLMM chief 
Tellefsen is returning to Oslo for consultations were 
accurate.  It is not clear how long he will be away from 
Sri Lanka. 
 
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Tigers Mum; Plans for Counterproposal Rollout Intact 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
5.  (C) For its part, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil 
Eelam (LTTE) organization has kept mum regarding the 
President's demand for Tellefsen's removal.  There have 
been fact-based articles posted on the situation on the 
pro-LTTE website "TamilNet," but no LTTE commentary.  In 
his conversation with the Charge', Brattskar noted that 
he had called the LTTE to request that it not go public 
and inject itself in the controversy, as that would only 
complicate matters. 
 
6.  (C) At this point, the plans for the Tigers' 
unveiling of their long awaited counterproposals on the 
GSL's north/east interim administration offer remain 
intact and, per Reftels, include the following strands: 
 
-- On October 31, Brattskar will fly to the LTTE- 
controlled town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka to 
collect the group's response. 
 
-- Brattskar will then give the LTTE's response to the 
GSL. 
 
-- In the first public presentation of the proposals, 
S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE political chief, is 
scheduled to hold a press conference in Kilinochchi on 
November 1.  The schedule now calls for the press 
conference to begin at 10:00 A.M.  Over 150 Sri Lanka- 
and foreign-based journalists have reportedly requested 
LTTE credentials for the briefing. 
 
-- The text of the Tiger response will then be posted on 
TamilNet at the time of the press conference or soon 
after it concludes. 
 
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Tamil Politicians Upset 
----------------------- 
 
7.  (C) While the Tigers themselves have been quiet, 
Tamil politicians with close links to the LTTE have gone 
public with their deep concerns about the President's 
demand regarding Tellefsen and reports that she told the 
military that it is free to ignore him (see Reftels). 
N. Raviraj, a Tamil National Alliance MP from Jaffna and 
one of the politicians quoted in the press, told poloff 
October 29 that the President's demand was 
"irresponsible" and "totally unwarranted."  Speaking in 
angry tones, Raviraj, who is normally quiet and 
unassuming, added that her demand might jeopardize the 
peace process.  It also put "people on the wrong 
footing" on the eve of the Tigers' unveiling of their 
counterproposals. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (C) Although it might have been popular with her 
most rabid, anti-peace process supporters, the 
President's demand regarding Tellefsen has left a bad 
taste all around.  It certainly has made life much 
harder for the Norwegian facilitation effort, especially 
at a time when the GoN is working overtime to revivify 
the process by bringing the Tigers back to talks.  One 
net positive is that the LTTE's plans on unveiling their 
power-sharing ideas appear to be moving ahead as 
scheduled.  While the group remains quiet, however, it 
is pretty clear by the thread of the remarks of Tamil 
politicians that the Tigers are angry about the 
President's latest move.  END COMMENT. 
 
9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
ENTWISTLE