US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2174

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002174 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL:  11-21-02 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, EAID, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  High hopes for Oslo conference, as Sri Lankans 
welcome international focus on peace effort 
 
Refs:  (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 201402Z Nov 02 
 
-      (B) Colombo 2160, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.  Reasons 
1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Expectations in Sri Lanka are running 
high for the November 25 Oslo conference.  Observers see 
the conference as a chance for the international 
community to send a strong signal of support for the 
peace effort.  Amid this focus on a political message, 
expectations have been lowered that the conference is 
going to rake in big pledges for Sri Lanka.  Slicing 
against the grain, a small, vocal minority is fiercely 
critical of the conference, seeing it as a boon for the 
LTTE.  After years of brutal war, the conference is a 
vital moment for Sri Lanka as it tries to re-enter the 
international mainstream.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Seeking a Political Signal 
-------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) The "Sri Lanka Peace Process Support Meeting" 
scheduled for November 25 in Oslo is garnering lots of 
buzz in Sri Lanka.  Most Sri Lankans have high 
expectations for the conference.  Taking a cue from the 
GSL (see below), observers primarily see the conference 
as a chance for the international community to send a 
strong political signal of support for the GSL- 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) peace effort. 
In various recent conversations, Mission has picked up 
the following perspectives: 
 
-- Kedish Loganathan of the Center for Policy 
Alternatives, a well-known local think-tank, told us 
that the conference placed a bright spotlight on Sri 
Lanka and its problems.  Sri Lankans want a "political 
signal" to emerge from the conference highlighting 
international support for the peace process. 
 
-- Gajan Ponnambalam, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) 
MP, told us that it was "a very good development to see 
the GSL and the LTTE sitting down together with the 
international community.  It reflects how seriously the 
international community views the peace process and also 
the sincerity of its commitment to helping Sri Lanka." 
 
-- Godfrey Gunatilleke, the Director of the Marga 
Institute, a think-tank, remarked:  "The Oslo 
international forum focused on peace is very welcome. 
Looking for support from the international community is 
a positive step and will help set the peace process in 
concrete." 
 
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Less Focus on Pledging 
---------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Amid the focus on a political message, 
expectations have been lowered that the conference is 
going to rake in big pledges for Sri Lanka.  Initially, 
the government had tried to sell the conference mainly 
as a way for the country to pick up funding support for 
humanitarian/reconstruction projects.  In fact, against 
the backdrop of complaints that the GSL was not focusing 
enough on bread-and-butter issues, the government had 
seemed to indicate that the conference was a way for Sri 
Lanka to help revive its economy.  Perhaps because a 
follow-on conference is scheduled to take place next 
year in Japan with pledging as the main focus in any 
case, the government is now lowballing the possibility 
of large sums being raised at Oslo.  G.L. Peiris, a 
senior minister involved in peace process issues, made 
this point in remarks at a press conference the other 
day, stating: 
 
"We are not hoping for astronomical sums of money.  What 
is important is not the magnitude of resources -- the 
absorptive capacity is limited.  What we expect most out 
of the Oslo conference is a very strong, unequivocal 
message of support and solidarity for the peace 
process." 
 
4.  (SBU) (((Note:  In line with the apparent shift in 
emphasis from pledging to a more politically-focused 
message, there has been a corresponding shift in the way 
the Oslo conference is referred to:  it had been called 
a "donors' conference," but now is formally entitled 
"Sri Lanka Peace Process Support Meeting."))) 
 
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Small Band of Critics 
--------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) Slicing against the grain, a small, vocal 
minority is fiercely critical of the conference, seeing 
it as wrong for the LTTE to be present.  This view was 
exemplified in an editorial in "The Island," an English- 
language paper, on November 21.  This editorial -- which 
was placed on the front-page, a rare occurrence -- 
essentially echoed themes from previous "Island" 
editorials (see Ref B), but in harsher tones.  The main 
point was that the international community was way out 
of line in allowing the LTTE, a terrorist organization, 
to participate in Oslo.  The U.S. was specifically 
signaled out for censure.  Choicer bits of the editorial 
included: 
 
-- "The most saddening development of all will be that 
the mighty democracies of the world, the stout defenders 
of human rights, are likely to sit down for talks with 
(the LTTE), despite they themselves having specifically 
declared the LTTE a terrorist organization." 
 
-- "The LTTE falls well into the category of 
international terrorist organizations specified by UN 
resolutions, in addition to being proscribed in the 
U.S., Canada, Australia, Britain, and India.  Can they 
disregard their own anti-terrorist laws and UN anti- 
terrorist resolutions in such a cavalier manner because 
it suits their objectives?" 
 
-- "Anti-terrorist laws clearly spell out there can be 
no negotiations, direct or indirect, with terrorist 
organizations.  In law, those nations (participating in 
Oslo) can only talk to the Sri Lankan government." 
 
6.  (C) This type of criticism does not seem to be 
reverberating on the streets.  As far as Mission is 
aware, there have been no demonstrations against the 
Oslo conference.  Representatives of President 
Kumaratunga's party, the People's Alliance (PA), and the 
radical Janantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), have hit out 
at the Oslo conference in various speeches, however. 
The PA even went so far as to issue a long public 
statement late last week criticizing the GSL's handling 
of the peace process and Norway's facilitation effort. 
The statement also raised some questions about the 
LTTE's participation in the conference -- See Ref B. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
7.  (C) After years of brutal war, the conference is a 
big moment for Sri Lanka as it tries to re-enter the 
international mainstream.  The fact that key states -- 
most especially the U.S. -- are sitting down to 
underscore support for Sri Lanka and its peace process 
is considered very important here.  We expect that the 
conference will receive significant press coverage and 
be a feather in the government's cap.  There will 
continue to be some dissonance from some quarters on the 
issue of the LTTE's participation, but the conference 
should accomplish its key purpose, i.e., strengthening 
Sri Lanka's peace process.  END COMMENT. 
 
8.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS