US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO816

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000816 
 
SIPDIS 
 
OFFICIAL INFORMAL 
 
FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  05/18/14 
TAGS: AMGT, CE, MV, Elections, External Relations 
SUBJECT:  OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 073 (05/18/04) 
 
 
Classified by DCM James F. Entwistle for reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d). 
 
CONTENTS:  MAY 18 PARLIAMENTARY SESSION 
-          CUBAN AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH 
 
 
MAY 18 PARLIAMENTARY SESSION 
---------------------------- 
 
1.  (C) FYI.  After almost a month's hiatus, Sri Lanka's 
Parliament reopened today (May 18).  The first order of 
business was the selection of the new Deputy Speaker of 
Parliament and Deputy Chairman of Committees.  In sharp 
contrast to the fractious, raucous scenes that attended 
the election to the Speaker's chair on April 22, the two 
jobs were filled without opposition.  Geethanjana 
Gunawardena of the UPFA is the new Deputy Speaker and 
Murugan Satchithananthan of the tea estate Ceylon 
Worker's Congress (CWC) is the new Deputy Chairman of 
Committees.  (The CWC is in alliance with the UNP.) 
Contacts have told Mission that this was the result of 
some sort of deal between the UNP and the UPFA, and that 
the JVP was reportedly not happy with the compromise. 
There are also reports that a SLMC MP crossed over to 
the UPFA right before today's session.  (POL) 
 
CUBAN AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH 
------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Pls pass to WHA/CCA:  FYI.  The Cuban Ambassador 
to Sri Lanka, Enna Viant, gave a press briefing in 
Colombo attacking the U.S. on May 14.  In her scathing 
remarks, Viant was quoted as stating that a recent 
report to President Bush by the Commission for 
Assistance to a Free Cuba was full of "lies, bitterness, 
frustration, and blatant interference in the internal 
affairs of another country."  Viant then attacked the 
various chapters of the report, stating:  "The cruelty 
and hatred which inspire this new aggression against our 
country are beyond belief...It is a flagrant violation 
of the human rights of the 11 million Cubans whom they 
are trying to bring to their knees..."  She then accused 
the U.S. of trying to overthrow Castro.  We spoke to the 
reporter who wrote a story on the press briefing in a 
local newspaper and he said Viant was pretty heated 
during the news conference (which, in any case, did not 
receive much press coverage).  Just wanted to flag this, 
as the Cuban Embassy here is usually relatively 
somnolent.  (POL) 
 
LUNSTEAD