US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO2020

UNCLAS COLOMBO 002020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS USAID/DCHA/OTI RWAX 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  COMPLEX EMERGENCY AND TRANSITION ASSISTANCE FOR 
SRI LANKA 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY.  AFTER TWO DECADES OF WAR THAT HAVE SHORT- 
CIRCUITED DEVELOPMENT AND TORN APART THE NATION'S SOCIAL 
FABRIC, SRI LANKA NOW FINDS ITSELF WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED 
OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE PEACE.  IN ORDER FOR 
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS HISTORIC 
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THE PEACE PROCESS THE 
AMBASSADOR HAS DETERMINED THAT THE PRESENT SITUATION IN 
SRI LANKA MERITS THE CONTINUED USE OF TRANSITION 
INITIATIVES (TI) FUNDS AND HAS REQUESTED THAT USAID'S 
OFFICE OF TRANSITION INITIATIVES (OTI) CONTINUE A PROGRAM 
THROUGH SRI LANKA'S KEY TRANSITION PERIOD.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  USAID/OTI'S GOAL IN SRI LANKA SINCE MARCH 2003 HAS 
BEEN TO GENERATE GREATER SUPPORT FOR A NEGOTIATED PEACE 
SETTLEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA AND THE 
LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM.  USAID/OTI IS SUPPORTING 
A PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF PEACE, TO 
INCREASE THE AMOUNT AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND 
DIVERSE POINTS OF VIEW ON PEACE RELATED ISSUES AMONG 
VARIOUS LEVELS OF SOCIETY AND VARIOUS COMMUNITIES, AND TO 
REDUCE OR PREVENT THE INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT 
PRONE COMMUNITIES.  USAID/OTI'S ASSISTANCE IS BEING 
PROVIDED TO UNDERPIN THE LARGER U.S. GOVERNMENT GOAL TO 
SUPPORT FOR THE PEACE PROCESS IN SRI LANKA. 
 
3.  THERE IS A CONTINUING NEED FOR THIS TYPE OF SUPPORT 
DURING FY04, A CRITICAL PERIOD FOR SRI LANKA AS IT WORKS 
ON A PEACE AGREEMENT AND A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT.  THE 
PEACE PROCESS IN SRI LANKA IS TENUOUS.  THE USAID/OTI 
PROGRAM IS NEEDED TO SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT WILL INCREASE 
THE PUBLIC'S SUPPORT FOR THIS PROCESS. 
 
4.  RATIONALE FOR CONTINUED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.  AS A 
TRANSITIONAL PRIORITY, THE STABILITY OF SRI LANKA IS 
PARAMOUNT.  A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT IN SRI 
LANKA WOULD ENCOURAGE A SIMILAR APPROACH TO BE USED 
THROUGHOUT THE REGION.  USAID/OTI'S CONTINUED ASSISTANCE 
WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING VALUE-ADDED COMPONENTS TO 
MISSION PROGRAMMING: 
-  USAID/OTI ALLOWS THE MISSION TO DEMONSTRATE VISIBLE 
PEACE DIVIDENDS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THEREBY PERSUADING 
SKEPTICS TO LEND THEIR SUPPORT TO THE PEACE PROCESS. 
-  THE USAID/OTI PROGRAM, IN PART THROUGH ITS CONTRACTOR'S 
FIELD OFFICES, IS ABLE TO WORK IN MOST PARTS OF THE 
COUNTRY, WITH MANY PROJECTS IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MULTI- 
ETHNIC. 
-  USAID/OTI IS ABLE TO HAVE PROJECTS FULLY IMPLEMENTED 
WITHIN A FEW MONTHS TIME.  THIS FAST AND FLEXIBLE 
PROGRAMMING ALLOWS USAID/OTI TO TAILOR AND ADAPT ITS 
PROGRAM TO THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, ATTITUDES AND 
HAPPENINGS DURING THE PEACE PROCESS. 
 
5.  THE USAID MISSION IN SRI LANKA AND THE US EMBASSY 
WELCOME AND SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE. 
 
LUNSTEAD