US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1948

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001948 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: "LOW KEY" NORWEGIAN VISIT TO WANNI; THREE 
CO-CHAIRS TO DISCUSS JVP ANTI-NORWAY CAMPAIGN WITH PRESIDENT 
 
REF: COLOMBO 1919 
 
Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission.  1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Norwegian Ambassador,s December 2 meeting 
with Thamilchelvan produced no breakthroughs but kept lines 
of communication open.  Thamilchelvan told him Prabhakaran,s 
recent policy speech had not been intended as a threat or 
ultimatum; he also reiterated LTTE commitment to maintaining 
the cease-fire.  Norwegian envoy Solheim will visit 
Kilinochchi December 15.  Co-chair representatives agreed 
that Japan, the EU and the U.S. would call on President 
Kumaratunga to express concern over the JVP-orchestrated 
anti-Norway campaign.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) The Sri Lanka co-chairs met December 3 to discuss the 
previous day,s Norwegian meeting with the Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Kilinochchi and to coordinate 
co-chair action in the face of a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 
(JVP)-orchestrated against Norwegian efforts here.  DCM 
represented the U.S. 
 
"Low Key" Visit to Wanni 
------------------------ 
 
3.  (C) Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar briefed on his 
December 2 one-day trip to LTTE headquarters in Kilinochchi 
which had been at his initiative.  Brattskar had wanted one 
last meeting with LTTE political chief Thamilchelvan before 
Brattskar goes home for the holidays and for an Sri Lanka 
Monitoring Mission (SLMM) conference in Copenhagen (he 
departs December 11 and is scheduled to return to Colombo 
January 10).  Brattskar said he had intentionally kept the 
visit "low key" by only informing the Government of Sri Lanka 
(GSL) at the last minute to avoid leaks to the press.  He had 
also asked the LTTE not to discuss the visit with the press 
although his presence in Kilinochchi inevitably "leaked out." 
Asked by journalists if he was carrying a message from the 
GSL, Brattskar had stated that he was not.  Brattskar noted 
that he had given GSL Peace Secretariat chief Jayantha 
Dhanapala a readout on his trip earlier in the day. 
 
Speech Analysis with Thamilchelvan 
---------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) Brattskar said he had gone through LTTE chief 
Prabhakaran,s Heroes, Day speech with Thamilchelvan "line 
by line."  During that discussion, Thamilchelvan reiterated 
the LTTE,s commitment to maintaining the cease-fire 
agreement (CFA) and told Brattskar the speech had not been 
intended as a threat or as an ultimatum.  Asked why the 
speech had not included the usual LTTE references to 
"internal or external self-determination," Thamilchelvan said 
his boss had wanted to focus the speech instead on the 
humanitarian needs of the Tamil people and how those needs 
could be assuaged by implementation of the LTTE,s Interim 
Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal.  Thamilchelvan used 
the same line when Brattskar asked why the speech had 
included no reference to the situation in the East or to 
breakaway faction chief Karuna.  Brattskar opined to the 
other co-chair reps that Prabhakaran had not wanted to 
dignify Karuna with a reference in the speech and was 
reluctant to draw attention to the East where LTTE efforts to 
regain control are mixed. 
 
5.  (C) Brattskar asked Thamilchelvan to explain the internal 
inconsistency in the speech between the stated readiness to 
resume negotiations and the stated lack of faith in the 
GSL,s intentions and abilities to pursue a peace process. 
Thamilchelvan responded by "launching into a history lesson" 
on Sinhalese perfidy, concluding that in spite of it all the 
LTTE was willing to move ahead and negotiate the ISGA.  Asked 
to clarify the speech reference to "advancing the freedom 
struggle," Thamilchelvan "had no specific answer."  Brattskar 
told Thamilchelvan that it was important that Prabhakaran had 
indicated in the speech a willingness to negotiate ISGA 
details rather than taking a "take it or leave it" approach. 
 
6.  (C) Moving beyond the speech, Brattskar told 
Thamilchelvan ("as I always do") that the LTTE needed to make 
periodic public reaffirmations of its "commitment to Oslo and 
to democratic principles."  Thamilchelvan said he had made 
these commitments during his recent travels in Europe. 
Brattskar said that was fine but public reiterations are 
necessary.  Thamilchelvan "just smiled."  Brattskar noted 
that he had so far only had a very brief telephonic readout 
from Eric Solheim on his meeting with Balasingham in London. 
"It appears to have been along the same lines of my talk with 
Thamilchelvan." 
 
Norwegian Travels 
----------------- 
7.  (C) Brattskar said Solheim will now arrive in Colombo 
late on December 13 and will travel to Kilinochchi on 
December 15.  In the face of the current peace process 
stasis, Brattskar said the Norwegians intend to send someone 
out "every 4-6 weeks or so" just to keep lines of 
communications open.  Solheim is not expecting any 
significant developments during his visit just as Brattskar 
had not expected any in his December 2 trip to Kilinochchi. 
 
Co-Chair Support of Norway 
-------------------------- 
 
8.  (C) Turning to the matter of the JVP-orchestrated 
campaign against Norwegian facilitation efforts (reftel), 
co-chair reps agreed on a meeting with President Kumaratunga 
to express support for Norway and to seek an explanation of 
how government coalition members could be allowed to behave 
in such fashion.  Brattskar said Helgesen strongly supported 
the idea but felt it best that Norway not participate, "since 
you,ll be talking about us."  Thus, it was agreed that 
Japan, the EU and the U.S. should call on the President. 
Japanese Ambassador Suda will request an appointment.  All 
agreed it would be important to put out a brief press 
statement immediately thereafter.  DCM agreed to craft a 
first draft for circulation. 
 
9.  (C) Brattskar laughingly noted that that morning he had 
presented the Minister of Culture, a JVP member, with a GON 
check to support the purchasing of books for cultural centers 
across the country.  "I gave a speech saying Norway supports 
the masses."  Brattskar noted the minister seemed to have no 
qualms about taking Norwegian money.  (The ceremony was 
prominently featured on the front page of the December 4 
English language Mirror newspaper.) 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
10.  (C) Despite the vituperative JVP-led campaign against 
them and the current stalemate in the peace process, the 
Norwegians intend to continue their methodical circuit ride 
between the two sides.  President Kumaratunga is reported to 
be privately "furious" about the JVP anti-Norway campaign. 
Her reaction to the presentation by "three legs" of the 
co-chairs should indicate whether she plans to do anything 
about it.  End Comment. 
 
LUNSTEAD