US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO187

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000187 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USEU PASS AMBASSADOR LUNSTEAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PHUM, EAID, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR BRIEFS COLOMBO CO-CHAIRS ON 
HIGH-LEVEL NORWEGIAN VISIT 
 
REF: COLOMBO 157 
 
Classified By: CDA JAMES F. ENTWISTLE FOR REASON 1.4D. 
 
 1.  (C)  Summary.  The Norwegian delegation headed by 
Foreign Minister Petersen made progress in working out an 
LTTE/GSL tsunami coordination mechanism although the deal 
is not final.  Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar, who has been 
facilitating the discussions, is encouraged.  Colombo co- 
chair representatives agreed that the public statement 
after the January 25 Brussels co-chair meeting should be 
short and focus on expressing hope that GSL/LTTE tsunami 
coordination will, down the road, have a positive impact on 
the peace process.  Brattskar said that it was clearly 
Prabhakaran who met with Peterson so rumors of the LTTE 
leader's demise under the tsunami waves are not true.  End 
Summary 
 
2.  (C)  Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar briefed 
Colombo co-chair representatives January 24 on the just- 
concluded visit by a high-level delegation led by Foreign 
Minister Peterson and including Development Minister 
Johnson, DFM Helgesen and Sri Lanka peace envoy Erik 
Solheim.  Charge' represented the U.S. 
 
Finding a GSL/LTTE Tsunami Coordination Mechanism 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
3.  (C)  Brattskar noted that the GON had been clear in its 
preparations for the visit that it was tsunami-related, not 
peace process, although in reality, of course, the two were 
closely linked.  FM Peterson met with both President 
Kumaratunga (CBK) and with LTTE leader Prabhakaran 
(London-based LTTE heavyweight Anton Balasingam, LTTE 
political chief Thamilchelvam and LTTE Sea Tiger chief 
Soosai sat in).  Brattskar, who has seen Prabhakaran in 
action a number of times, said there is no/no doubt that it 
was really Prabhakaran who met with the Norwegian 
delegation so, Brattskar said, Prabhakaran is clearly 
"alive and well, although he was very subdued." 
 
4. (C)  The primary topic of the extensive round of 
Norwegian meetings with both sides had been the formation 
of a joint GSL/LTTE mechanism to deliver tsunami relief 
assistance in the tsunami affected areas of the north and 
east, discussions which Brattskar has been quietly 
facilitating for several weeks (reftel).  Brattskar said 
much progress was made over the weekend but things are not 
in final.  Brattskar and Helgesen had gone back up to 
Kilinochchi early January 24 for "very useful" further 
discussions with the LTTE on the mechanism.  It will now be 
referred to the LTTE central committee and Brattskar is 
hopeful there will be another GSL/LTTE round of 
discussions by the end of this week.  Both President 
Kumaratunga and Prabhakaran really want this, 
Brattskar commented, and both are leaving discussions 
to the working level and staying out of details 
(which is particularly hard for the President, 
the Norwegian noted).  Brattskar noted that both realize 
their reputations are at stake since, if they can't 
cooperate on an unspeakable national disaster, 
what hope is there that they will ever cooperate 
on anything else?  Brattskar commented that, 
in the talks he has been facilitating, both 
sides "are listening to each other and are flexible." 
A three-tier mechanism (local, regional and national 
levels) is currently under discussion.  The local 
part is basically already in effect in that 
GSL/LTTE tsunami cooperation at the district level 
is very good, Brattskar said.  The UN and the Sri 
Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) share that 
view, he commented. 
 
5.  (C) Brattskar speculated that the outcome of the 
"mechanism talks" will be something that builds on the old 
North East Reconstruction Fund (NERF) idea, some sort of 
"joint purse" into which donors could put money, etc. 
Japanese Ambassador Suda immediately said his government 
could not send money that way.  Brattskar said the details 
would have to be worked out but he remains optimistic. 
Brattskar stressed, however, that although the discussions 
had leaked to the papers over the weekend (each side 
typically blames the other), it is crucial in his view that 
the details of these discussions, which are still 
"fragile," not become public and that their very existence 
still be closely-held despite the press leaks.  (No doubt 
Brattskar is chagrined to see the details of the weekend 
Norwegian discussions all over the frontpage of the January 
25 English language "Mirror" newspaper.)  In particular, 
Brattskar commented, it is crucial to avoid the perception 
that the discussions are something the co-chairs and/or the 
Norwegians dragged the two sides into.  This is absolutely 
not so, Brattskar said.  The GSL and the LTTE wanted and 
initiated the talks.  He is merely facilitating.  The 
mechanism would only deal with tsunami coordination; it is 
not a "back door" to the LTTE's Interim Self-Governing 
Authority (ISGA) plan.  "This is not ISGA-lite." 
 
Child Soldiers and Muslims 
-------------------------- 
 
6.  (C)  Brattskar said he had been struck during the 
delegation's LTTE meetings and during the discussions he 
has been facilitating by the fact that the LTTE had raised 
the issue of Muslims in the east who had been particularly 
hard hit by the flood.  "I'm not used to hearing the LTTE 
express concern about Muslims."  The LTTE had also insisted 
that, whatever the final "mechanism" looked like, Muslims 
would have to be involved in the decision-making process. 
Brattskar said the LTTE was also extremely sensitive to 
charges that it was using post-tsunami confusion to recruit 
child soldiers.  LTTE political chief Thamilchelvam had 
denied this vehemently and said that international 
organizations, rather than blast the LTTE publicly, should 
bring specific cases to the attention of the LTTE 
leadership "and we will solve them."  Brattskar also noted 
that the Norwegian delegation had visited the hard-hit 
coastal town of Mullaitivu (home of the Sea Tigers) and 
that he had been very impressed with how much better things 
looked than when he had visited the town a week after the 
tsunami. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Short and Sweet Co-Chairs Statement Needed 
------------------------------------------ 
 
7. (C)  Turning to the co-chairs public statement that will 
be issued after the January 25 Brussels meeting, Brattskar 
asserted (and the other co-chair reps agreed) that a 
lengthy, detailed public statement (that is, like the draft 
the EU has been circulating) would be unhelpful.  Mention 
of every detail only will give obstructionists more 
ammunition to pick the process apart.  There was general 
agreement that the co-chair statement should be no more 
than half a dozen sentences.  In a nutshell, co-chair 
representatives agree, the statement should call for and/or 
applaud GSL/LTTE tsunami coordination (without mentioning 
ongoing discussions described above) and express hope that 
over time the ties developed in this tsunami coordination 
endeavor will lead to progress on the peace front.  The co- 
chairs must "do no harm" with the statement, Brattskar 
stressed.  In particular hard language urging an early 
return to the peace table must be avoided.  EU Charge' 
Wilton undertook to pass these Colombo views back to the EU 
bureaucracy. 
 
Need for Decentralized Nationwide Reconstruction Process 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
8. (C)  Brattskar said that Norwegian Development Minister 
Johnson had expressed the view "to everyone she met" that 
the post-tsunami reconstruction phase (the nationwide 
effort, not just the GSL/LTTE mechanism) needed to be 
decentralized down to the local "government agent" level 
rather than keeping with Sri Lankan tradition and having 
everything controlled by the central government in 
Colombo.  Johnson had also been quite outspoken that 
reconstruction aid needed to be well coordinated and 
that regional "asymmetries" in the reconstruction 
effort needed to be avoided.  The other co-chair 
representatives agreed with that approach 
(which is also held by the local IFI reps and 
the UN here) and noted that the GSL needs to be engaged on 
these issues at the highest level.  Brattskar commented 
that DFM Helgesen might seek to discuss these issues at 
Brussels. 
ENTWISTLE