US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2160

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002160 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL:  11-20-02 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PREL, MOPS, EAID, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Joint GSL-LTTE sub-committees on humanitarian 
and de-escalation issues hold initial meetings 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 2147 
 
-      (B) Colombo 2142, and previous (All Notal) 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.  Reasons 
1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The joint GSL-LTTE sub-committees on 
humanitarian and de-escalation issues recently held 
their initial meetings.  The humanitarian-focused 
meeting led to an agreement to form a secretariat.  The 
de-escalation meeting led to the first ever face-to-face 
discussions between the GSL navy and the LTTE's sea 
wing.  A third sub-committee on political issues, also 
formed at the second session of talks held earlier this 
month, has not yet met.  The proliferation of meetings 
seems to be broadening the peace process and increasing 
confidence on both sides.  END SUMMARY. 
 
================================== 
Sub-Committees Hold First Meetings 
================================== 
 
2.  (SBU) Joint Sri Lankan government - Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sub-committees on 
humanitarian/reconstruction and de-escalation issues 
recently held their initial meetings.  Along with a sub- 
committee on political issues, which has not yet met 
(see Para 8 below), these sub-committees were formed at 
the second session of GSL-LTTE talks held earlier this 
month -- see Ref B.  According to all reports, both sub- 
committee meetings were held in a conciliatory 
atmosphere and were basically introductory in nature. 
 
========================================= 
Humanitarian/Reconstruction Sub-Committee 
========================================= 
 
3.  (C) The humanitarian/reconstruction-focused sub- 
committee met November 18 in Kilinochchi, a major town 
in the LTTE-controlled Wanni region.  (Note:  This sub- 
committee is technically called the "Immediate 
Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in the North and 
East Sub-Committee.")  S.P. Thamilchelvam, the chief of 
the LTTE's political wing, represented the LTTE side and 
Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, head of the Peace 
Secretariat, represented the GSL.  Norwegian Ambassador 
 
SIPDIS 
Jon Westborg participated, as did Japanese Ambassador 
Seiichiro Otsuka and Motohide Yoshikawa, a 
representative of GoJ Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi. 
(Note:  See Ref A for comments made by the Japanese 
Ambassador to Ambassador Wills re this meeting.) 
 
4.  (C) Participants at the meeting mainly reviewed 
procedural issues involved in the sub-committee's 
operations.  Tomas Stangeland, a poloff at the Norwegian 
Embassy who attended the meeting, told us that the 
meeting reviewed key priority areas for funding, 
including issues related to women, displaced persons, 
and demining.  Ideas on the sub-committee's financial 
structure (the "North-East Reconstruction Fund") were 
also discussed.  According to Stangeland, the major 
agreements arrived at during the meeting included the 
decision to form a sub-committee secretariat based in 
Kilinochchi.  An LTTE official would serve as director 
of the secretariat.  The government would nominate one 
deputy director and another deputy director would 
represent "minorities" (e.g., Muslims).  Stangeland 
added that the sub-committee had agreed to meet next on 
December 15-16 and then on January 15-16, 2003. 
 
=========================== 
De-Escalation Sub-Committee 
=========================== 
 
5.  (C) The de-escalation sub-committee met for the 
first time on November 10 in Kilinochchi.  (Note:  This 
sub-committee is technically titled "De-Escalation and 
Normalization Sub-Committee.")  Hagrup Haukland, the 
Deputy Chief of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), 
told us that Defense Secretary Austin Fernando 
represented the GSL at the meeting and V. Karuna, the 
LTTE's military commander in the east, represented the 
Tigers.  Haukland said the meeting focused on ways to 
de-escalate military tensions and ease the burden on 
local communities caused by GSL "high security zones." 
The sub-committee is scheduled to meet next on 
December 15.  Haukland noted that the two sides had also 
agreed to hold "district committee" and expert-level 
meetings. 
 
6.  (C) Flowing out from the initial sub-committee 
meeting, there have already been several "district 
committee" and expert-level meetings.  The most 
noteworthy of the expert-level meetings took place on 
November 13 in the Muhamalai area of Jaffna District. 
(Note:  Muhamalai straddles the no-man's land separating 
GSL and LTTE forces on the Jaffna Isthmus.)  At this 
meeting, representatives of the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) 
and the LTTE's "Sea Tigers" reportedly met for the first 
time ever.  SLMM Chief Trond Furuhovde chaired the 
meeting.  SLN Northern Commander Rear Admiral Sarath 
Weerasekara led the GSL delegation and Sea Tiger Deputy 
Chief Seliya led the LTTE team. 
 
7.  (C) Haukland said the SLN-Sea Tiger meeting focused 
on easing fishing restrictions around coastal "high 
security zones" and also on the issue of LTTE sea 
movements.  The two sides also discussed how to hold 
firing exercises off the coast.  Haukland said 
additional meetings between the SLN and the Sea Tigers 
were planned.  (Note:  Several days after the meeting, 
the SLN complained that the LTTE's Karuna traveled on a 
vessel to the east without utilizing proper procedures. 
The SLMM has expressed concern about Karuna's trip.) 
 
=================================== 
Political Sub-Committee Yet to Meet 
=================================== 
 
8.  (C) The third and final sub-committee, focused on 
political issues, has not yet met.  This sub-committee 
was formed to examine complex political matters, 
including constitutional, legal, political, and 
administrative issues.  G.L. Peiris, a senior minister, 
is slated to be the chief GSL representative on the sub- 
committee, while the chief LTTE representative will be 
Anton Balasingham, the group's spokesman.  Muslim leader 
Rauf Hakeem is also supposed to serve on the sub- 
committee.  Tomas Stangeland told us that he was not 
sure when this sub-committee would meet.  He thought 
that Peiris and Balasingham were already in constant 
contact on political issues and would arrange a formal 
meeting of the sub-committee at some point soon. 
Peiris told the Ambassador on November 20 that the first 
formal meeting of the political sub-committee would take 
place "right after" the donors' conference in Oslo on 
November 25. 
 
======= 
COMMENT 
======= 
 
9.  (C) The proliferation of meetings highlights the 
increasing commitment of the two sides to process- 
oriented engagement.  This, in turn, seems to be 
deepening the peace process and leading to progress in 
confidence-building.  The fact that leaders of the GSL 
navy and the Sea Tigers actually met is remarkable, for 
example -- the two have been nothing short of mortal 
enemies.  With few issues dividing them (at least in 
public) and the floor open to discourse on multiple 
issues in multiple fora, government and LTTE ties seem 
to be on a role entering into the Oslo conference and 
the third session of talks scheduled to take place in 
early December.  END COMMENT. 
10.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS