US embassy cable - 05VILNIUS1062

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 001062 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KTFN, PREL, PTER, CO, LH, HT29 
SUBJECT: GOL SUPPORTS DESIGNATING LTTE AS TERRORIST GROUP 
 
REF: SECSTATE 172115 
 
Classified By: Political/Economic Officer Alexander Titolo for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
(C) The GOL supports the EU listing the Liberation Tigers of 
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organization.  Tomas 
Gulbinas, Head of the MFA's Common Foreign and Security 
Policy Division, and Dainius Kamaitis, Head of the MFA's Asia 
and Pacific Division, told us September 21 and 22 
respectively that a Sri Lankan special envoy based in Oslo 
recently visited Lithuania and the other Baltic States to 
present his government's case for why the EU should take a 
tougher stance on the LTTE.  They added that the GOL is 
convinced of the merits of this argument.  Kamaitis told us 
that there is an understanding within the EU that some sort 
of message must be sent to the Tamil rebels in the wake of 
the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. 
He said that some nations are hesitant to designate the LTTE 
as a terrorist organization because they believe it will 
imperil international humanitarian projects underway in the 
Tamil region of Sri Lanka.  Gulbinas told us that he thinks 
it is likely that the EU will eventually decide to label the 
LTTE as a terrorist group, but that talks aimed at reaching a 
consensus for this action are still dragging on. 
MULL