US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1956

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001956 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR D, SA, SA/INS, SA/PD, S/CT; NSC FOR E. 
MILLARD 
 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL: 11-12-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PTER, PINR, NO, CE, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  Sri Lanka update:  No resolution in "cordial" 
President-PM meeting; Norwegians here to meet all sides 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 1943 
 
-      (B) Colombo 1942, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Prime Minister Wickremesinghe met with 
President Kumaratunga on November 12 with no discernible 
resolution to the political turmoil.  A Norwegian 
delegation arrived to meet with all parties regarding 
recent political events and its effect on the peace 
process.  Separately, Tamils and Muslims expressed 
concern over the President's November 4-5 actions to the 
visiting Norwegian peace facilitators.  Buddhist monks 
told the President she should have consulted with the PM 
prior to taking action.  As the various parties continue 
discussions, the next week may be crucial to the 
resolution of this political stalemate.  END SUMMARY. 
 
President meets with PM 
----------------------- 
2.  (C) On November 12, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe 
met with President Kumaratunga, in response to the 
latter's invitation to discuss her "grand alliance" 
government proposal.  While there has been no 
substantial readout of the 2 and a half hour meeting, 
Bradman Weerakoon, the PM's secretary has been quoted as 
saying it "went well," and characterized it as "cordial 
and friendly."  Reports indicate that, as no agreement 
between the President and PM was reached, they have 
agreed to further talks.  A joint President/PM press 
statement issued late on November 12 confirmed that 
further talks would be planned for next week. 
 
Norwegians arrive to hear all parties' sides 
-------------------------------------------- 
3.  (C) Vidar Helgesen, Norwegian Deputy Foreign 
Minister and special envoy Erik Solheim began their 
visit on November 11 by meeting separately with Tamil 
National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 
(SLMC) parliamentarians.  (See below for TNA and SLMC 
comments on the meetings with the Norwegians.)  Tomas 
Stangeland, Norwegian Embassy political officer, told 
poloff on November 12 that the delegation remains 
concerned about the peace process, but will not make any 
public comments until it speaks with all parties.  The 
Norwegian delegation is scheduled to meet with President 
Kumaratunga late afternoon on November 12, before going 
to LTTE headquarters in the Wanni on November 13 for a 
meeting with Tiger leader V. Prabakharan.  According to 
Stangeland, Helgesen intends to brief the diplomatic 
community early on November 14 before returning to 
Norway. 
 
4.  (C) Helgesen and Solheim, in a November 12 meeting 
with Ambassador, said the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission 
(SLMM) told them that the military was conducting 
themselves properly in recent days.  Helgesen also said 
that Norway would find it difficult, if not impossible, 
to continue the facilitation role if it were not clear 
who was in charge in the government.  In additional 
comments to poloff on November 12, Agnes Bragadottir, 
SLMM spokeswoman, said that there "had been little 
change in the functioning of the defense forces," in 
response to the President's takeover of the Defense 
ministry. 
 
Tamils express concern over President's sincerity 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
5.  (C) In a November 11 meeting, members of the pro- 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) TNA told 
visiting Norwegian special envoy Erik Solheim that 
defense arrangements should "remain in the hands of one 
party that is dedicated to take forward the current 
peace process with sincerity," according to press 
reports.  Gajen Ponnambalam, TNA MP, told Pol FSN on 
November 12 that it was "impossible" to work with the 
President on the peace process while she held the 
Defense portfolio, as there was no trust in the 
President among the Tamil community.  Echoing 
Ponnambalam's comments, Joseph Pararajasingham, another 
TNA member, told poloff that the peace process should 
continue under the PM, as Tamils could not have faith in 
President Kumaratunga's handling of the peace process, 
given some of her past actions towards the LTTE, such as 
her non-response to a unilateral ceasefire offered by 
the group in 2000.  In an effort to discuss their 
concerns, a TNA delegation is scheduled to meet with the 
Prime Minister late on November 12. 
 
Muslims cite concerns in meeting with Norwegians 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
6. (C) For their part, eight Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 
(SLMC) MPs expressed to the Norwegians their concern 
that the GSL will not take responsibility for any peace 
process negotiations without control of the defense and 
interior ministries.  A.M. Jaufer, Parliamentary 
Secretary to senior Muslim leader Rauf Hakeem, told 
 
SIPDIS 
poloff on November 12 that the group further made clear 
their demand for a separate Muslim delegation at future 
GSL-LTTE peace talks.  Jaufer, confirming that the SLMC 
was formulating a response to the LTTE's October 31 
counterproposals to the GSL, anticipated another two 
months before the response was finalized. 
 
GSL:  Determine responsibility before talks resume 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
7.  (C) G.L. Peiris, a key government minister and the 
United National Party (UNP) spokesman (not to mention 
the lead negotiator with the LTTE), told press late on 
November 10 that the government needed to determine who 
would be responsible for the peace process before direct 
negotiations with the Tigers could resume.  Peiris 
stated that it was "realistic to assume" that the 
President's actions of November 4-5 had placed the peace 
process at "some risk," according to press reports. 
Peiris reiterated the earlier UNP position that 
responsibility for the peace process should reside in 
one person, adding that if President Kumaratunga was not 
willing to take responsibility for the peace process "in 
total," then she should return control of the three key 
ministries she had assumed. 
 
Buddhist clergy negative on President's actions 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
8.  (C) At the President's invitation, Buddhist clergy 
met with her on November 12 to hear the explanation of 
her takeover of the defense, interior, and mass 
communications ministries.  Reverend Wimalaratana, a 
well-respected, moderate Buddhist monk who attended the 
meeting, told us that the President underscored that 
current security situation combined with the PM's 
failure to listen to her advice led her to take action. 
In response to the President's actions, the clergy told 
the President that she should have consulted with the PM 
prior to taking over the ministries.  According to 
Wimalaratana, the President replied that she felt 
compelled to act and had no time for discussions with 
the PM.  In speaking about the peace process, the 
President told the clergy that she was not ready to 
accept full responsibility for the peace process, but 
wanted to work together through her proposal for a 
"grand alliance" for all parties.  The monks expressed 
doubt about the future of the peace process, but stated 
to the President that peace process efforts should 
continue. 
 
9.  (C) In November 12 conversations with the political 
section, two members of the Buddhist clergy from the 
Malwatte and Asgiriya temples (the two leading monastic 
orders) expressed their disappointment with the 
President and her actions.   Venerable Dehideniye 
Ratanasara, deputy chief of the Malwatte temple, told 
Pol FSN that the President's actions were destabilizing 
for the country.  Ratanasara felt that the President 
should support the PM in his government's efforts to 
negotiate a peaceful, durable solution with the Tigers. 
Venerable Koshinne Dhammarama from the Asgirya temple 
further mentioned that, in working with the government, 
the President should return control of the ministries to 
the GSL. 
 
10.  (C) COMMENT:  As the various parties continue 
discussions, the next weeks may be crucial to the 
resolution of this political stalemate.  The PM 
continues to emphasize that he cannot continue the peace 
process if there is split responsibility, i.e. if the 
President continues to hold the Defense portfolio.  As 
for the President, various parties continue to speak out 
against her actions of last week.  The effort of 
resolving the impasse between the PM and President is 
likely to be lengthy, with the peace process on hold in 
the meantime.  We find it very encouraging, however, 
that the first PM-President meeting lasted at least two 
hours and that apparently agreement was reached to meet 
again.  END COMMENT. 
 
11.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD