US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO626

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000626 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, IO/SHA, WHA/CCA, DRL/MLA 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  04-10-13 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, CE, CU, UNCHR-1 
SUBJECT:  Ambassador presses Foreign Minister to support 
UNCHR resolution re Cuba 
 
Refs:  (A) State 91613; (B) State 91349 (All Notal) 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills. 
Reasons:  1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) Ambassador Wills spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign 
Minister Tyronne Fernando this morning (April 10) and 
urged the GSL to support the resolution re Cuba now 
before the UNCHR.  Fernando remarked that Sri Lanka had 
traditionally abstained on the Cuba vote.  The 
Ambassador reviewed Ref A talking points, underscoring 
that the Castro regime's latest activities were 
especially egregious and that Sri Lanka, as a new member 
of the UNCHR, could play a key role on this vital human 
rights matter.  Fernando replied that he would consider 
the issue with his advisers in the next day and then get 
back in touch with us. 
 
2.  (C) COMMENT:  Our guess is that it will be very 
tough to move the GSL from an abstention to a "yes" 
vote.  The Sri Lankan MFA is full of NAM-type thinking, 
which gets in the way of sound policy judgments.  That 
said, the current government has taken a somewhat better 
tack re international organization matters, so it is 
very much worth a try.  In addition to the meeting with 
Ambassador Subasinghe, we suggest that Department raise 
this matter with Minister Milinda Moragoda, who will be 
in Washington for the April 14 seminar on Sri Lanka. 
END COMMENT. 
 
3.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS