US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO1563

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001563 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINS, PTER, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY VISITS WAR-RAVAGED JAFFNA 
 
Classified By: Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.  Reasons 1.5 b, d. 
 
 
AFTER IT IS CLEARED, THIS CABLE WILL BE TRANSMITTED TO THE 
SAME ADDRESSEES AS THE OTHER REPORTING MESSAGES RELATED TO 
THE DEPSEC'S SRI LANKA VISIT. 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  The Deputy Secretary and his delegation 
visited the Jaffna peninsula for two and a half hours during 
his one-day visit to Sri Lanka, August 22.  The delegation 
visited a U.S. demining site and a front line position where 
Sri Lankan army troops and the LTTE face off, and met with 
four Tamil civic leaders to get their views on the ceasefire. 
 End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Immediately after landing at Colombo's international 
airport, the Deputy Secretary, his delegation, the Ambassador 
and an embassy team immediately flew to Jaffna aboard a Sri 
Lankan Air Force AN-32.  After landing at Palaly Air Force 
Base on Jaffna peninsula, the group transferred to Sri Lankan 
Air Force Bell helicopters and flew immediately to 
Chavakatcheri.  This small city, formerly with a population 
of about 10,000, was devastated by artillery and small arms 
fire from both the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE in the year 
2000.  Virtually the entire population departed and 
subsequently became internally displaced persons (there are 
800,000 IDPs in Sri Lanka).  The Deputy Secretary's group 
drove through the devastation enroute to a demining site on 
Chavakatcheri's outskirts.  State's PM Bureau's quick 
reaction demining force, led by Don Smith, escorted the 
Deputy Secretary and his delegation around the site and 
conducted a demonstration of demining techniques.  The QRDF 
has cleared almost 700 mine and UXO from this site in the 
past three months. 
 
3.  (C) The Deputy Secretary and his delegation then flew to 
a front-line position on the eastern side of the Jaffna 
peninsula at Muhamalai.  The group was shown the Sri Lankan 
Army's defense perimeter by Commanding Officer General D. 
Fonseka.  The front-line position is about 400 meters from 
the LTTE's forces and also serves as a crossing point for 
civilians traveling to and from the Jaffna peninsula. 
 
4.  (C) The Deputy Secretary and his delegation flew from 
Muhamalai into Jaffna thereafter to meet a small group of 
Tamil civic leaders.  The meeting occurred at the home of 
Jaffna's Catholic Bishop.  The Deputy Secretary met with Dr. 
Ambalavanar, a surgeon; Professor Sitrampalam; a university 
professor; Ms. Sivachandran, a women's activist; and Mr. 
Gopalakrishnan, a university student.  The Deputy Secretary 
expressed to the four Tamils the United States's fervent wish 
for peace in Sri Lanka and asked for their assessment of the 
situation.  He heard from these four activists common themes 
about the current situation:  that the LTTE is the sole 
representative of the Tamil people; that the LTTE was driven 
to violence only after more moderate Tamil leaders were 
doublecrossed by successive governments in Colombo; that the 
Tamils want peace but only if they are assured a very 
substantial degree of self rule; and that Tamils want the 
U.S. to be even-handed.  In the latter regard, Dr. 
Ambalavanar asserted that the U.S. should be an impartial 
broker between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government.  The 
Deputy Secretary politely rejected the assertion, saying that 
the U.S. strongly supported peace but could not broker a deal 
because the USG has labeled the LTTE a foreign terrorist 
organization.  He concluded the short meeting by assuring the 
Tamil activists that the United States sincerely wished for 
peace, supported the Norwegian efforts at facilitation and 
was prepared to offer financial assistance for reconstruction 
of Sri Lanka's northeast once the final peace deal is 
concluded. 
 
5.  (C) At the conclusion of the meeting, the Deputy 
Secretary was greeted by a gaggle of reporters outside the 
 
SIPDIS 
Bishop's residence.  He responded to two questions before he 
and the delegation choppered back to Palaly for their onward 
flight to Colombo.  The remainder of the Deputy Secretary's 
program has been reported in septels. 
Wills