US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO519

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000519 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR, I/RW, I/REC; PA 
SA/INS (FOR JWALLER); SA/PD (LJIRWIN, LSCENSNY, 
WREINCKENS); SSA/PAB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OPRC, KMDR, OIIP, CE, External Relations 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA PLAY:  IRAQ 
 
REF:  COLOMBO 508 
 
1. In reftel we noted that as of mid-week (3/26) the war in 
Iraq was receiving substantial front-page treatment but 
limited editorial coverage.  The trend continued into 
Thursday (3/27):  the war dominates this morning's front- 
page above-the-fold headlines.  Again, however, only one of 
Sri Lanka's dozen dailies editorializes on the issue. 
 
2. Front-page samples:  "US warplanes resume attack on 
Republican Guards" and "Busch says Saddam's `day of 
reckoning' drawing near" headlined the English dailies. 
The Sinhala press used headlines such as "Heaviest fighting 
yesterday" and "43 US soldiers dead."  The Tamil press said 
"big civilian losses in intensified air attacks on 
Baghdad," "attack on Iraqi television center," "even after 
7 days coalition forces unable to enter Baghdad," and 
"uprising of Shia Muslims against Saddam." 
 
3. As on 3/26, however, front-page interest did not make it 
to the editorial page.  On 3/27 only one of Sri Lanka's 
dozen dailies published an editorial regarding the war in 
Iraq.  Under the headline "Lessons in adversity," the 
ISLAND (opposition English daily, islandwide circulation) 
spoke of the "Many ... adverse effects of the Iraq War 
[that] will be felt by all countries and their economies 
... if the war drags on....  Excerpts follow: 
 
"The price of petrol was hiked by Rs. 2 [or 4 percent] from 
midnight yesterday.  The price of diesel remained static 
but that will not keep prices of commodities that are 
transported by diesel vehicles static, if we are to go by 
the effect of oil price hikes on prices of essential 
commodities in the past.... 
 
"Yesterday, it was reported that 70 per cent of the tea 
offered at the Colombo auctions remained unsold.  When 
Arabs don't get our tea, our small tea growers ... have to 
starve and pray to the gods. 
 
"Many other adverse effects of the Iraq War will be felt by 
all countries and their economies will be drastically 
affected if the war drags on for a long time. 
 
"The Sri Lanka government can't be blamed, even though 
comrades of the JVP and the Opposition PA will try to heap 
it all on the government.  If blame is to be affixed, then 
there are three persons who stand out:  Saddam Hussein, 
George Bush and Tony Blair. 
 
"Who can help poor nations like Sri Lanka in this crisis? 
Pro-Saddam, anti-Americans will say:  Go to Bush, he 
started it all.  But Bush has had to go to Congress to 
plead for $75 billion as the cost of the war and associated 
expenses.  Blair is a poor cousin of Bush whereas Saddam 
had been declared bankrupt and insolvent.  And even when he 
had cash he preferred to bank in the western world and not 
give it to the poor Third World. 
 
"Adversity teaches many lessons.  In this age where the 
glories of globalisation and interdependence of nations 
have been dinned into us, it brings home the stark reality 
of self-reliance.  A nation has to be self-reliant in basic 
commodities and the infrastructure that is called for to 
provide the needs has to be protected.  There are the agro- 
economists urging us to give up rice cultivation and other 
traditional crops and to go in for cash crops and high 
yielding varieties such as genetically manufactured crops. 
For all that we will have to depend on the world outside. 
 
If there is a prolonged war over which small countries will 
have no control, their only salvation will be in self- 
reliance. 
 
This crisis we hope will awaken us all to the plight of 
those people like the humble `goviyas' [farmers] who are 
now finding it hard to sell their rice harvest to private 
dealers and a very reluctant government.  During the last 
World War and many years after that Sri Lanka had to import 
rice to feed a greater part of the population.  We tend to 
forget all that.  Let it be realised that no nation can 
dispense of the people who feed it. 
 
Wills