US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO819

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000819 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  05-16-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PINS, CE, NO, JA, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  NORWEGIAN FM PRESSES TIGERS, BUT NO SIGN OF 
GIVE YET; LATEST RE COHABITATION STRESSES 
 
REFS:  COLOMBO 805, AND PREVIOUS 
 
(U) CLASSIFIED BY LEWIS AMSELEM, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION. 
REASONS:  1.5 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  NORWEGIAN FM PETERSEN MET WITH THE 
TIGERS ON MAY 15.  DESPITE HIS BEST EFFORTS, THE TIGERS 
DID NOT SAY THEY WILL RETURN TO THE TALKS, NOR DID THEY 
COMMIT TO ATTEND THE TOKYO DONORS CONFERENCE.  THE 
JAPANESE EMBASSY HAS CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED NO 
FURTHER WORD FROM THE TIGERS RE TOKYO.  IN OTHER NEWS, 
THE COHABITATION SITUATION REMAINS TENSE AS THE PRESIDENT 
AND THE PM CONTINUE TO BICKER.  UNTIL THESE SNARLS ARE 
CLEARED UP, THE GSL WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN A BIND.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) NORWEGIAN FM PRESSES TIGERS:  NORWEGIAN FOREIGN 
MINISTER JAN PETERSEN MET WITH LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL 
EELAM (LTTE) LEADER V. PRABHAKARAN AND OTHER KEY LTTE 
OFFICIALS ON MAY 15.  GON DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VIDAR 
HELGESEN AND AMBASSADOR HANS BRATTSKAR ALSO PARTICIPATED 
IN THE MEETING, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE TOWN OF 
KILINOCHCHI IN THE TIGER-CONTROLLED WANNI AREA OF NORTH- 
CENTRAL SRI LANKA.  PETERSEN REPORTEDLY USED THE MEETING 
TO PRESS THE LTTE TO RETURN TO THE PEACE TALKS WITH THE 
SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT AND TO COMMIT TO ATTEND THE JUNE 
DONORS CONFERENCE IN TOKYO.  IN RESPONSE, THE TIGERS 
REITERATED THEIR POSITION THAT UNLESS IMMEDIATE ACTION 
WAS TAKEN TO ADDRESS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN THE 
NORTH, THEY WOULD NOT GO TO TOKYO OR RESUME PARTICIPATION 
IN THE PEACE TALKS.   VOICING ANOTHER OF THEIR LONG- 
STANDING DEMANDS, THE TIGERS ALSO SAID THAT THE GSL MUST 
TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF ITS SECURITY 
ZONES IN JAFFNA. 
 
3.  (C) JAPANESE MULL OVER TOKYO:  IN ADDITIONAL NEWS RE 
THE PEACE PROCESS, KOJI YAGI, JAPANESE EMBASSY POLOFF, 
TOLD US MAY 16 THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY 
WORD FROM THE TIGERS RE THEIR ATTENDANCE AT THE TOKYO 
CONFERENCE.  (NOTE:  PER REFTELS, JAPANESE SPECIAL ENVOY 
AKASHI HAD SET MAY 14 AS THE DEADLINE FOR THE TIGERS TO 
RECONSIDER THEIR PREVIOUS STATEMENTS THAT THEY WOULD NOT 
ATTEND THE TOKYO MEETING.)  YAGI SAID HIS EMBASSY HAD 
HEARD THAT THE LTTE MIGHT BE PLANNING TO SEND JAPAN A 
LETTER REQUESTING A POSTPONEMENT IN THE TOKYO CONFERENCE 
SO THE GSL HAD "TIME" TO MEET TIGER DEMANDS.  QUERIED AS 
TO WHAT THE GOJ'S PLANS WERE RE THE CONFERENCE AT THIS 
POINT, YAGI ALLOWED THAT THE ISSUE WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC 
FOR HIS GOVERNMENT.  HE SAID THE GOJ CONTINUED TO REVIEW 
WHAT TO DO NEXT. 
 
4.  (SBU) TAMIL POLITICIANS MEET THE LTTE:  IN OTHER NEWS 
RE THE PEACE TRACK, A GROUP OF TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE 
(TNA) POLITICIANS MET WITH THE LTTE LEADERSHIP IN THE 
WANNI ON MAY 13.  AFTER THE MEETING, A JOINT LTTE-TNA 
STATEMENT WAS ISSUED THAT STRESSED THE LTTE'S CONTINUED 
SUPPORT OF A NEGOTIATED POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE 
DISPUTE.  RE THE PEACE TALKS AND THE TOKYO CONFERENCE, 
MISSION HAS HEARD THAT THE TIGERS USED THE MEETING WITH 
THE TNA TO REITERATE THEIR WELL-KNOWN STANCE THAT THE GSL 
HAD TO MEET THEIR DEMANDS BEFORE THEY AGREED TO 
COOPERATE. 
 
5.  (C) COHABITATION BICKERING CONTINUES:  THE LATEST 
NEWS RE SRI LANKA'S TENSE COHABITATION SITUATION IS THAT 
PRESIDENT KUMARATUNGA HAS SENT A LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER 
RANIL WICKREMESINGHE ON MAY 14 STATING THAT SHE WOULD NOT 
CHANGE HER DECISION RE THE TAKEOVER OF THE DEVELOPMENT 
LOTTERIES BOARD.  (NOTE:  LATE LAST WEEK, PER REFTELS, 
THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WAS TAKING OVER THE 
LOTTERIES BOARD.  THE GSL HAS REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT HER 
DECISION.)  FURTHER, SHE REJECTED THE PM'S ALLEGATION 
THAT THE TAKEOVER VIOLATED THE SRI LANKAN CONSTITUTION, 
ASSERTING THAT SHE HAD ACTED IN FULL CONFORMITY WITH THE 
LAW.  IN TERMS OF NEXT MOVES IN THE TENSE SITUATION, THE 
PM IS REPORTEDLY DRAFTING A RESPONSE TO KUMARATUNGA'S 
LATEST MISSIVE.  THERE ARE ALSO REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT 
KUMARATUNGA, IN A BID TO SHOW SHE HAS CONTROL OF THE 
AGENCY, IS PLANNING TO CALL FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING OF 
THE DIRECTORS OF THE LOTTERIES BOARD SOON. 
 
6.   (C) COMMENT:  UNTIL THE SNARLS OVER THE PEACE PROCESS 
AND COHABITATION ARE CLEARED UP, THE GSL WILL CONTINUE TO 
BE IN A SERIOUS BIND.  THE LTTE IS CLEARLY NOT IN THE 
MOOD TO MAKE THINGS EASY FOR IT IN TERMS OF THE PEACE 
TRACK.  IN THE MEANTIME, THE PRESIDENT IS CAUSING THE GSL 
SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH RESPECT TO POLITICS IN THE SOUTH. 
EVEN WHEN THINGS WERE GOING MORE SMOOTHLY, THE GSL WAS 
OVERLOADED ENOUGH.  THE WEIGHT OF THESE ADDED PROBLEMS 
MAKES THE OVERALL CHALLENGE FOR THE GSL THAT MUCH LARGER. 
END COMMENT. 
 
7.  (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
 
WILLS