US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2142

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 002142 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL:  11-18-02 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PREL, KPAO, EAID, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  In public statement, president's party flays 
GSL's handling of peace process and Norway's role 
 
Refs:  (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 180355Z Nov 02 
 
-      (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 160734Z Nov 02 
-      (C) Colombo 2133, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  President Kumaratunga's party, the 
People's Alliance, has issued a public statement 
excoriating the government's handling of the peace 
process.  The statement was also critical of the 
Norwegian facilitation effort, and U.S. and UK 
participation in the Oslo conference.  Somewhat at odds 
with the statement, the president's public stance on the 
peace process has been relatively upbeat.  Given the 
strong support for the peace process among the public, 
we do not see the PA statement as making a big impact, 
but it could be a portent of attacks to come.  Suggested 
"if asked" press guidance is contained in Para 12.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------- 
Public Statement by the PA 
-------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) President Kumaratunga's party, the People's 
Alliance (PA), issued a public statement late 
November 15 harshly criticizing the government's 
handling of the peace process.  The statement also 
criticized Norway's facilitation role.  (Note:  A copy 
of the statement has been faxed to SA/INS.)  The 
statement was issued in the name of Sarath Amunugama, 
the PA's media spokesman, but was almost certainly the 
work of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a 
close adviser to Kumaratunga.  (Note:  Kadirgamar 
reviewed the statement line-by-line at a November 15 
press conference called by the PA.)  Key snippets from 
the long and detailed statement included: 
 
-- "The UNF (United National Front) and some 
governments, notably the Norwegian, say that the talks 
with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) are 
proceeding in the right direction.  In the opinion of 
the People's Alliance, the direction of the talks is 
right only for the LTTE." 
 
-- "Recent actions of the LTTE demonstrate a clear trend 
towards the consolidation of its authority in the 
northern and eastern provinces...The LTTE has spoken 
publicly of already having a standing navy, law courts, 
police stations, banks, and other institutions...Those 
actions appear to reflect the LTTE's intention to create 
and dominate some kind of parallel governmental entity 
in the north and east...which would lead inevitably to 
the establishment of a separate state." 
 
-- "The PA also views with concern the role currently 
being played by the Norwegian government in the 
negotiation process...Today, it appears to the people of 
Sri Lanka that the role of the Norwegian government has 
been unjustifiably enlarged and that it is no longer 
visibly impartial...The Norwegian government seems more 
concerned with arranging an outcome of the talks that 
can be pronounced a `success' for the UNF and the LTTE 
rather than with the long-term interests of Sri Lanka 
and its people.  The destiny of Sri Lanka is too 
precious to be left to be determined by the UNF and the 
LTTE under the supervision of the government of Norway." 
 
-- "The prime minister and his negotiating team have not 
yet, after eleven months of the current peace process, 
thought it fit to inform the country, the president, and 
the Parliament and perhaps even most of the cabinet, of 
the policy framework which would form the basis for 
negotiations." 
 
3.  (U) In its conclusion, the statement also made a 
series of demands, including that the GSL insist that 
the LTTE renounce the use of violence and accept 
decommissioning of all of its weapons.  The statement 
also called for the government to do more public 
briefing re its plans for the peace process, noting that 
the PA planned to begin a process of "national 
consultations."  Finally, the statement demanded that 
the government seek a "thorough revision" of the 
February ceasefire accord, which was "being implemented 
to the grave prejudice of the armed forces of Sri 
Lanka." 
 
---------------------------- 
Criticism of the U.S. and UK 
---------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) The PA statement was also critical of U.S. and 
UK participation in the upcoming Oslo donors' 
conference, stating: 
 
"The PA is disturbed by the impending accommodation of 
the LTTE, on a level of parity with the government of 
Sri Lanka, at the forthcoming talks to be held in Oslo. 
It is said that at these talks the governments of the 
U.S. and the UK will be represented at a high political 
level...The signal that will go out from Oslo is that, 
notwithstanding resounding universal declarations that 
terrorism must be resisted in all its manifestations, 
terrorism will in fact be rewarded." 
 
(Note:  This aspect of the PA statement was also 
mirrored in recent editorials in "The Island," a 
strongly anti-LTTE, Sinhalese chauvinist daily.  In 
reference to Oslo, the editorials essentially charged 
the U.S. and UK were soft toward the LTTE, while 
asserting a hard-line policy toward other terrorist 
groups, e.g., Al-Qaida.  Meanwhile, in a clearly 
erroneous report, one of the Sunday English-language 
dailies, asserted on November 17 that the U.S. and UK 
were thinking of legalizing the LTTE after the 
conclusion of the Oslo conference.  End Note.) 
 
----------------------------- 
Kumaratunga's Recent Comments 
----------------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) Somewhat at odds with her own party's 
statement, the president's public stance on the peace 
process has been relatively upbeat.  In a wide-ranging 
speech on November 12 commemorating her eighth year in 
office, President Kumaratunga seemed to regard the GSL's 
peace initiative in relatively benign fashion, stating: 
 
"I am glad that the new government of the UNP (United 
National Party) has taken action to carry forward the 
peace process through a negotiated settlement...Measures 
adopted in the last one year to reduce tension between 
the antagonists seem to have progressed satisfactorily. 
It is gladdening to note that the government has taken 
serious note of my insistence on the necessity to engage 
in a dialogue with the LTTE on the core issues..." 
 
Kumaratunga was also relatively conciliatory regarding 
the peace process during brief remarks on November 17 at 
a ceremony honoring the visiting Croatian president (see 
Ref A). 
 
-------------------------- 
Reactions to the Statement 
-------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) The PA statement received considerable coverage 
in the weekend press.  At a late November 16 meeting 
with the Ambassador and DCM, Milinda Moragoda, a key 
minister involved in peace process issues, and Norwegian 
Ambassador Jon Westborg both expressed considerable 
concern about the PA statement.  Moragoda indicated that 
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe planned to respond in 
public to the statement later this week.  He added that 
the PM planned to make a national address thoroughly 
reviewing the government's peace initiative at some 
point after the November 25 donors' conference in Oslo. 
The normally unflappable Westborg, who was clearly a bit 
stung by the PA statement, was not certain how his 
government would respond.  (Note:  For his part, 
Westborg also faced some biting personal criticism last 
week.  Citing press reporting on Westborg's comments at 
a private meeting, some in the radical JVP party 
asserted he had made light of the recent conviction of 
LTTE leader Prabhakaran for a 1996 terrorist attack.  In 
response to the JVP's ludicrous charge, Westborg said he 
had been misquoted.) 
 
7.  (C) The Ambassador, underscoring strong U.S. support 
for the GoN role, told Moragoda and Westborg that he 
thought that the statement was a cheap shot, mean- 
spirited, and ill-timed.  It was possible, the 
Ambassador noted nevertheless, that the statement could 
result in a net positive if the GSL shrewdly used it in 
its discussions with the LTTE as a means to gain 
concessions. 
 
8.  (C) In other soundings, Desmond Fernando, a human 
rights lawyer with close links to the government, told 
polchief that he thought that the PA statement was "very 
unhelpful."  Fernando added that he thought that the PA 
was edging toward playing the same game that had 
bedeviled past peace processes, i.e., the party out of 
power playing the "Sinhalese card" in order to gain 
popular support at the expense of the national interest 
in communal harmony.  Kedish Loganathan, an analyst at a 
local think-tank, thought that the PA would be careful 
not to go too far in their criticism because it would 
not want to alienate the public, which was strongly pro- 
peace process.  In making this point, Loganathan took 
note of President Kumaratunga's recent comments and the 
fact that they were far more moderate in tone than the 
PA statement itself. 
 
9.  (C) (((Note:  Mission has not picked up any response 
by the LTTE to the PA statement.  The Tamil National 
Alliance, which is generally pro-LTTE, rejected much of 
the substance of the PA statement in a press release 
dated November 17, specifically underscoring its strong 
support for Norway's facilitation effort.  End Note.))) 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
10. (C) The PA statement is on the mark in some ways, 
e.g., the LTTE is indeed doing some very nasty things in 
the north and east (see Ref C).  That said, while it is 
important to call attention to the LTTE's misdeeds, 
there can be little doubt that the peace process is 
Sri Lanka's best way forward.  The thrust of the PA's 
statement seems to call into question that basic 
premise, however.  The PA's attack is especially 
unfortunate and ill-timed given the upcoming Oslo 
conference and the slated start of the third round of 
talks shortly thereafter.  In addition, the criticism of 
the Norwegians is extremely unfair, as is the glancing 
blow at the U.S. and the UK.  While the exact genesis of 
the statement is difficult to discern, the PA is clearly 
envious and resentful that the GSL is getting the credit 
for the peace process, which it feels (correctly) that 
it started eight years ago when Kumaratunga first took 
power.  We also guess that a "good cop, bad cop" routine 
is going on here, with Kumaratunga keeping her hands 
clean while she gives her party license to hit out 
(there is little doubt that the statement would not have 
been issued without the president's review and 
approval). 
 
11.  (C) At this point, given the strong support for the 
peace process among the body politic, we do not see the 
PA statement as making a big impact, but it could be a 
portent of attacks to come.  The Ambassador will bring 
up our concerns in upcoming meetings with Kumaratunga 
and Kadirgamar.  END COMMENT. 
------------------------ 
Suggested Press Guidance 
------------------------ 
 
12.  (U) The following is suggested "if asked" press 
guidance in case the Department is questioned re the PA 
statement: 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
 
"We have noted with dismay the November 15 statement 
made by the People's Alliance (PA).  The tone of the 
statement is unduly harsh and corrosive with respect to 
cohabitation between the major parties regarding the 
peace process.  The U.S. strongly believes that the Sri 
Lankan government is moving the peace process in the 
right direction, and we urge all concerned parties to 
reinforce that effort and not try to undermine it.  In 
addition, some of the statement's charges are wildly 
inaccurate.  In particular, we take issue with the 
statement's charges against the government of Norway. 
We strongly believe that the Norwegian facilitation 
effort is impartial, transparent, and nobly motivated. 
In fact, we believe that Sri Lanka and the entire 
international community owe Norway a debt of gratitude. 
 
As regards the U.S., we reject the statement's implicit 
assertion that we are somehow softening our approach to 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.  At the upcoming 
Oslo conference, no U.S. officials will be meeting with 
the group and the LTTE will remain on the U.S. Foreign 
Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing. 
 
We remain deeply concerned by LTTE activities, and 
continue to urge the LTTE to renounce terrorism and 
violence publicly.  The group should also make clear 
once and for all that it has no intention whatsoever to 
press for separatism.  We also call on the LTTE to 
respect human rights and democratic norms, and urge it 
to accept Sri Lankan government sovereignty fully, 
including the island-wide application of the nation's 
constitution and its law enforcement system." 
 
END TEXT. 
 
13.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS