US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO589

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000589 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  04-07-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, EAID, ASEC, CE, NO, JA, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Tamil Tigers criticize U.S. over "exclusion" 
from Washington seminar 
 
Refs:  (A) SA/INS-Colombo 04/04/03 class e-mail 
-      (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 041354Z Apr 03 
-      (C) Colombo 576, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills. 
Reasons:  1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  In a rare formal public statement, the 
Tamil Tigers have criticized the U.S. over not being 
invited to the upcoming Washington Seminar on Sri Lanka. 
Mission is also picking up some low-key bad vibes from 
the group's supporters in Sri Lanka over the matter. 
Overall, our guess is that the Tigers -- who know very 
well they are on our FTO list -- will get over their 
disappointment at not being invited in short order.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------- 
Tigers Hit Out at U.S. 
---------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 
have criticized the U.S. over not being invited to the 
State Department-sponsored Washington Seminar on Sri 
Lanka.  (Note:  The April 14 seminar will bring together 
over 30 countries and many international organizations 
to discuss Sri Lanka's peace process, and reconstruction 
and development needs.  It is part of the leadup to the 
Tokyo donors conference in June.  End Note.)  The LTTE's 
comments were made in a formal public statement issued 
late April 4.  (Note:  Key sections of the statement are 
contained in Para 8.) 
 
3.  (SBU) In its specifics, the LTTE's statement said 
the group was "disappointed by its exclusion" from the 
conference.  The statement claimed that the government 
and the LTTE had agreed to an "equal and joint 
partnership" regarding efforts to solicit international 
assistance.  By not inviting the Tigers to the seminar, 
"the United States (had) undermined this joint effort by 
isolating the LTTE and solely promoting the GSL at the 
preliminary meeting on April 14...(The U.S. decision) 
also undermines confidence in both the reconstruction 
initiative and the peace process."  The statement closed 
by urging donors to endorse "joint participation" by the 
GSL and the LTTE in reconstruction and development 
efforts in the future. 
 
------------------------------ 
A Rare Formal Public Statement 
------------------------------ 
 
4.  (C) The way the statement was issued indicated the 
high precedence that the LTTE gave the matter.  Tiger 
views are often carried by pro-LTTE web-sites and 
newspapers.  The April 4 statement, however, was issued 
as an "urgent press release" direct from the LTTE's 
civilian offices in Kilinochchi in Tiger-controlled 
northern Sri Lanka.  It is very rare for the usually 
secretive group to issue a formal press statement, which 
 
SIPDIS 
is something it does only on matters it considers highly 
important.  (Note:  In the past, for example, the group 
has issued formal statements on such major issues as its 
agreement to enter into face-to-face talks with the GSL 
late last year and its agreement to the terms of the 
February 2002 ceasefire accord.) 
 
----------------------------------- 
Bad Vibrations from LTTE Supporters 
----------------------------------- 
 
5.  (C) In the days before the issuance of the 
statement, Mission had been picking up bad vibrations 
from LTTE supporters toward the U.S.  Last week, for 
example, a pro-LTTE contact in Jaffna recommended that a 
Mission poloff not visit Jaffna at this time because the 
situation was "tense" there.  Asked to explain, the 
contact asserted that Tamils were not happy with U.S. 
policy over Iraq and were planning a demonstration on 
April 4.  As reported in Mission updates re local 
reaction to Operation Iraqi Freedom (see Septels), 
Mission had picked up absolutely no signs of dissonance 
from Tamils re U.S. actions in the Gulf up to the point 
when this comment was made.  Mission later heard that 
the LTTE, angry over not being invited to the Washington 
seminar, was indeed the sponsor of the April 4 anti-war 
rally in Jaffna city.  (Note:  In any event, the rally 
was peaceful and quite small, with only about 40 people 
in attendance.) 
 
6.  (C) (((Note:  Poloff asked M. Senethirajah, a senior 
Tamil National Alliance, "TNA," MP, about the press 
statement.  Senethirajah, who is very pro-LTTE, 
responded that he had no comment at this time.  He noted 
that TNA MPs were due to meet with LTTE leaders in 
Kilinochchi on April 10 in one of their periodic 
meetings.  He said this meeting should provide more 
clarity re LTTE views on this matter.))) 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
7.  (C) Despite their evident disappointment, our guess 
is that the Tigers will get over this matter in short 
order.  We doubt the group wants to pick a fight with 
the U.S.  The Tigers know very well that they are on our 
Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list and had no 
chance of being invited to the U.S. to attend the 
April 14 meeting.  (Note:  In the days preceding the 
Tiger statement, Mission had been underscoring this 
point re the FTO with news organizations when asked 
about the USG position.  Department made the same point 
in its press guidance contained in Ref A.)  Indeed, the 
tone of their statement was more one of sorrow than of 
anger.  In issuing the press statement, the LTTE was 
probably making a public show of disappointment for the 
sake of its Tamil supporters.  END COMMENT. 
 
-------------- 
LTTE Statement 
-------------- 
 
8.  (U) Key sections of the LTTE's press statement 
follow: 
 
Begin text: 
 
Urgent Press Release 
LTTE Headquarters 
Kilinochchi 
April 4, 2003 
 
LTTE's Exclusion from Donor Conference Undermines Peace 
Process 
 
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is 
disappointed by its exclusion from the international 
conference to support reconstruction and rehabilitation 
efforts in the north and east of Sri Lanka to be hosted 
by the United States in Washington on April 14. 
 
From the outset of the Norwegian-brokered negotiations, 
the two parties to the conflict, the LTTE and the 
Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), agreed to equal and 
joint partnership in efforts to solicit international 
financial assistance for reconstruction and 
rehabilitation efforts in the north and east of Sri 
Lanka.  We point out that Sub-Committee on Immediate 
Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs was formed in the 
context of this equal and joint partnership.  It was 
also in this context that the first international donor 
conference held in Oslo on November 25, 2002 was 
successfully staged.  Whilst funds were pledged for 
urgent needs at that meeting, a larger donor conference 
to be held in June this year in Japan was promoted as 
the main forum for securing international assistance for 
reconstruction efforts in the war-torn Tamil areas. 
 
Regrettably, the United States has undermined this joint 
effort by isolating the LTTE and solely promoting the 
GoSL at the preliminary meeting on April 14.  The 
exclusion of the LTTE from reconstruction efforts in the 
Tamil areas of Sri Lanka is against the spirit of the 
peace process.  It also undermines confidence in both 
the reconstruction initiative and the peace process. 
The LTTE is therefore dismayed and disappointed by the 
US action. 
 
We call upon the United States and international donors 
to actively support the Norwegian peace process by 
endorsing the joint participation of the LTTE and GoSL 
in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the 
north and east of Sri Lanka. 
 
End text. 
 
9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS