US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO834

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000834 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PREL, EAID, CE, LTTE - Peace Process, Tsunami, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  PRESIDENT TALKS POSITIVELY ON JOINT 
MECHANISM IN PUBLIC BUT NO ACTION (YET) 
 
REF: COLOMBO 797 
 
Classified By: Charge' d'Affaires James F. Entwistle.  1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  In a May 3 address to religious leaders, 
President Kumaratunga publicly expressed her desire to 
conclude a Joint Mechanism with the Liberation Tiger of Tamil 
Eelam (LTTE) for distribution of aid in tsunami-affected 
areas.  Kumaratunga said the Joint Mechanism would be the 
path to peace for the Tigers and predicted that a majority of 
the country supported the proposal.  MPs on both sides of the 
Parliamentary well were less sanguine about the President's 
commitment to signing the Joint Mechanism.  Norwegian 
Ambassador Brattskar praised the speech but said it needed to 
be followed by action.  The President will have to commit her 
words to action before her fellow citizens or the 
international community believe her.  We will see if either 
personal gain or the national interest is enough to compel 
her to sign.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) PRESIDENT POSITIVE ON MECHANISM:  On May 3, President 
Chandrika Kumaratunga spoke to leaders of Sri Lanka's four 
main religions, requesting their support for the Joint 
Mechanism between the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) and the 
LTTE.  Meeting with the clergy during the religious committee 
meeting of the National Advisory Council for Peace and 
Reconciliation, the President said that the Joint Mechanism 
-- to distribute tsunami aid in the North and East -- was the 
path to bring the LTTE to the peace table and the governing 
process.  In her remarks, Kumaratunga characterized the 
LTTE's willingness to cooperate through the Joint Mechanism 
as a sign of the group's acceptance of Sri Lankan sovereignty. 
 
3.  (C) The President is further quoted as saying that if a 
referendum were held on the mechanism, the GSL would win 60 
percent of the vote.  The Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) -- 
the President's party -- and a majority of the United 
National Party (UNP) -- the opposition party -- support the 
Joint Mechanism, according to the President.  Critics of the 
mechanism offered no alternatives, she said.  To underscore 
her commitment, Kumaratunga even went so far as to say the 
Joint Mechanism was more important than her government or 
even her presidency.  "The government may fall...I might lose 
the Presidency.  But those things are not of national 
interest unlike bringing lasting peace to the country." 
 
4.  (C) ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS:  In a May 4 meeting 
with polchief, Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Urban 
Development, said he did not think that Kumaratunga would 
sign the Joint Mechanism.  He stated that the President's 
intent could not be determined by what she says to religious 
leaders.  According to Gunawardena, the President has not yet 
presented the agreement to the Cabinet or to party leaders 
within the government's ruling alliance.  He said he had not 
seen a draft of the document.  If the Joint Mechanism is 
limited to tsunami-affected areas, then it could be a good 
step, he said.  If it covers wide tracts of the north and 
east not affected by the tsunami, then he would be less 
supportive of the mechanism. 
 
5.  (C) Parliamentarians of the opposition UNP also warned 
that the President could not be taken at her word just based 
on speeches she makes at the convention center.  Mahinda 
Samarasinghe, Chief Minority Whip, told Charge' on May 4 that 
the UNP was completely on board with the Joint Mechanism 
concept. 
 
6.  (C) NORWEGIANS NOT YET CONVINCED:  In a May 4 
conversation with Charge', Norwegian Ambassador Hans 
Brattskar said he found the speech "very encouraging."  But, 
Brattskar noted, the speech needs to be accompanied by action 
and he sees no sign of that so far. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT:  The President has a well-earned reputation 
for ad libbing during public speeches and clearly many feel 
the May 3 comments were more of the same.  Her remarks, 
however, are the most positive ones on the Joint Mechanism 
since her return to the island over a week ago.  But, time is 
running out for the President's encouraging words to be 
translated into concrete action.  End Comment. 
 
ENTWISTLE