US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO208

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, SA/PD, NEA/NGA; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL: 02-06-13 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, CE, MV, IZ 
SUBJECT:  Mission deploys points re Secretary's speech 
to the UNSC 
 
Refs:  (A) State 34169 (D) Colombo 170 
-      (B) Colombo 205 (E) Colombo 24 
-      (C) Colombo 185 (F) 02 Colombo 1879 
 
(U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) In lieu of Ambassador who was en route to 
Colombo from the Maldives, DCM drew on Ref A points in a 
February 6 conversation with Sri Lankan Foreign 
Secretary Nihal Rodrigo.  Rodrigo said the GSL does not 
 
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have any plans for now to issue any public statement re 
the Secretary's February 5 speech to the UN Security 
Council.  He noted that the Sri Lankan government had 
issued a statement re Iraq last week and it had no plans 
to change it.  (Note:  The statement, which is contained 
in Ref D, was quite constructive.)  Foreign Minister 
Tyronne Fernando is now in London and might have some 
comments if he is asked.  Rodrigo promised to let 
Mission know if a public statement was forthcoming. 
 
2.  (C) Polchief also drew on Ref A points in a 
February 6 conversation with Maldivian MFA Permanent 
Secretary Dr. Shaheed.  Shaheed had no comments on the 
 
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Secretary's speech, but said the GoRM was reviewing it 
 
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closely. 
 
3.  (U) Per Ref A, Mission has passed both the Sri 
Lankan and Maldivian MFA's the text of the Secretary's 
speech. 
 
4.  (U) For additional Sri Lankan and Maldivian reaction 
to the Secretary's speech, please see Ref B. 
 
5.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS