US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO1736

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001736 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USUN NEW YORK PLEASE PASS TO SA A/S ROCCA 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  09-17-12 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PHUM, PINS, SOCI, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Peace process update:  Positive response to 
talks; President hits out; Possible prisoner exchange 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 1719; (B) Colombo 1629 (Notal) 
 
(U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Charge d'Affaires. 
Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) This update of Sri Lanka's peace process reviews 
the following: 
 
-- Kickoff of peace talks in Thailand engenders highly 
positive response in Sri Lanka 
 
-- Before start of talks, President Kumaratunga hits out 
at GSL 
 
-- Government and Tamil Tigers working closely on 
prisoner exchange 
 
-- The flavor of the peace process:  Christian pilgrims 
visit shrine in LTTE-controlled area en masse 
 
=================================== 
Sri Lankans respond warmly to talks 
=================================== 
 
2.  (C) The kickoff of peace talks between the 
government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
(LTTE) in Thailand on September 16 was greeted warmly in 
Sri Lanka.  Observers -- both Sinhalese and Tamil -- 
told us they thought the opening ceremony set an 
excellent tone for the talks.  Joseph Parajahsingham, a 
pro-LTTE Tamil MP, told us that "it was very encouraging 
to see both sides talking about ending the war and 
coming to a negotiated settlement."  Desmond Fernando, a 
well-known Sinhalese lawyer, told us that "the important 
thing is that the two sides are meeting after seven 
years."  (Note:  The last time the two sides sat down 
for formal face-to-face talks was in early 1995.) 
 
3.  (U) Press coverage was also positive.  Newspapers, 
both vernacular and English language, gave extensive 
coverage to the opening ceremony, as did TV and radio. 
Probably the most circulated photos and video clips 
involved shots of chief GSL negotiator G.L. Peiris 
standing side-by-side with chief LTTE negotiator Anton 
Balasingham -- with both smiling amicably.  Newspapers 
also carried long excerpts from the speeches given at 
the opening ceremony by Peiris and Balasingham (see 
Ref A).  Articles took note of the eloquence of Peiris' 
speech ("...a sea change is necessary, now that the 
tempests have abated...") and Balasingham's 
straightforward remarks welcoming the talks. 
 
4.  (SBU) (((Note:  The coverage of the talks on the 
pro-LTTE website "TamilNet" was also generally positive. 
TamilNet welcomed the start of the talks and carried 
several photos of the opening ceremony.  In line with 
the often-acerbic public style of the LTTE, however, the 
site also took digs at "Sinhalese hard-liners led by 
President Kumaratunga."  In what is becoming a LTTE 
mantra, the site also demanded that the GSL provide more 
assistance to the north and east.))) 
 
5.  (C) Comment:  Despite the positive vibes, Sri 
Lankans do not seem worked up or overly enthusiastic 
about the talks.  Sri Lanka has been through numerous 
peace process iterations in the past.  Each has failed 
and usually been followed by large-scale violence. 
Given this sorry record, people seem relatively 
realistic and disinclined to set expectations too high. 
That said, although there seems a depth of patience, 
there is a feeling that this version of the peace 
process needs to succeed for the sake of the country's 
long-term prosperity.  End Comment. 
 
================== 
President Hits Out 
================== 
6.  (SBU) Shortly before the government delegation left 
Sri Lanka for Thailand, President Kumaratunga took the 
opportunity to lash out at the GSL over its handling of 
the peace process.  In a long letter dated September 12 
that was issued to the press, Kumaratunga alleged that 
the government was doing little to stop the LTTE from 
violating the February ceasefire accord.  In a 
subsequent speech, Kumaratunga also went on to enunciate 
strong support for the peace process, as long as her 
letter's concerns were met.  Defense Minister Marapana 
immediately responded to Kumaratunga's letter, flatly 
rejecting the notion that the GSL had "permitted" the 
LTTE to engage in serious violations of the ceasefire 
accord. 
 
7.  (C) Comment:  Kumaratunga seems to be on the losing 
side of this argument:  The Norwegian-run Sri Lanka 
Monitoring Mission (SLMM) reported on September 13 that 
ceasefire accord violations were drastically down in 
recent weeks.  The SLMM even stated that "...the 
situation on the ground seems to be in such good order 
that it will support the parties during their initial 
talks in Thailand." 
 
8.  (C) Regarding the talks, Kumratunga is also clearly 
annoyed over the fact that the GSL has not welcomed a 
representative of her party on the government's 
negotiating team in Thailand.  Her spokesman, Harim 
Peiris, told us that she thought this was "quite a 
snub."  End Comment. 
 
========================== 
Possible Prisoner Exchange 
========================== 
 
9.  (SBU) With Norwegian government facilitation, the 
government and the LTTE are heavily engaged in 
negotiating the terms of a possible prisoner exchange. 
The essential elements of the exchange would have the 
LTTE turn over to the GSL the seven Sri Lankan security 
force personnel it claims to have in custody. 
Meanwhile, the GSL would free 14 LTTE personnel, who are 
held in government jails.  It is not clear when the 
exchange might take place, but Taranjit Sandhu, polchief 
of the Indian High Commission, told us that he had heard 
that it might occur right after the end of the first 
round of peace talks. 
 
10.  (SBU) (((Note:  The LTTE claims that the seven are 
the only prisoners it holds.  According to human rights 
activists, the government holds about 800 Tamils under 
the Prevention of Terrorism Act on grounds that they are 
terrorist operatives linked with the LTTE.  The 
government's recent lifting of the ban on the LTTE as an 
organization has had no legal effect on the 
circumstances of these prisoners.  End Note.))) 
 
11.  (C) Comment:  The release of prisoners by both 
sides would be a solid confidence-building measure.  It 
is potentially very controversial in the Sinhalese 
south, however.  Already, the GSL has had to drop the 
notion of including several LTTE prisoners in the 
exchange who are believed to have been involved in 
serious acts of terrorism, such as the December 1999 
attempt to assassinate President Kumaratunga.  Given the 
gathering momentum of the peace process, the possibility 
of a prisoner exchange raises the prospect of a general 
amnesty at some point.  The government has not publicly 
discussed this possibility yet, probably because it is 
too hot too handle.  End Comment. 
 
====================================== 
LTTE allows visits to important shrine 
====================================== 
 
12.  (SBU) Huge numbers of Roman Catholics and other Sri 
Lankans are being allowed to visit a shrine in the town 
of Madhu in the LTTE-controlled Wanni region in northern 
Sri Lanka.  Founded on a site visited by Portuguese 
clergy in the 1600s, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary church 
is the most important shrine in the country for Sri 
Lankan Catholics.  The LTTE gradually opened up access 
to the area in the past several months as the peace 
process gained momentum.  With the loosening of travel 
restrictions, roads in the Madhu area have become 
flooded with pilgrims, with tens of thousands of people 
converging on the site in mid-August for a religious 
feast, for example. 
 
13.  (SBU) Comment:  The LTTE's decision to open up 
access to the shrine has been greatly appreciated by 
Catholics, who represent about seven percent of the 
population, and are an influential group within both the 
Sinhalese and Tamil communities.  It has also been 
lucrative:  the LTTE are apparently reaping considerable 
funds from taxes applied to road use and on the (rustic) 
tourist facilities in the Madhu area.  End Comment. 
 
14.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
AMSELEM