US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1018

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001018 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR D, SA, SA/INS, S/CT, SA/PD; NSC FOR E. 
MILLARD 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL:  06-11-13 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, EAID, KPAO, CE, JA, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Despite some Opposition criticism, the Tokyo 
conference continues to generate a positive reaction 
 
Refs:  (A) Tokyo 3766 (Notal) 
 
-      (B) Tokyo 3765 (Notal) 
-      (C) Colombo 1008, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills. 
Reasons:  1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The Tokyo donors conference continues 
to generate a positive reaction in Sri Lanka.  The 
president maintains a studied silence, however, despite 
some criticism of the conference by her party.  The 
Tamil Tigers, who controversially did not go to Tokyo, 
have also been mum, thus far.  There are reports that 
the Japanese plan to meet with the Tigers soon. 
Overall, there is a very warm glow about Tokyo in Sri 
Lanka, but the Tigers remain a wildcard.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Continued Positive Reaction to Tokyo 
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2.  (SBU) Media reaction in Sri Lanka to the Tokyo 
donors conference generally continues to be very 
positive (except for one key exception -- see 
Paras 3-4).  Local English-language and vernacular 
(Sinhala and Tamil) newspaper coverage focused heavily 
on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's closing remarks, 
which were very laudatory of the international 
community.  The papers also highlighted the "Tokyo 
Declaration on Reconstruction and Development of Sri 
Lanka," which was issued June 10.  The Tamil-language 
press was a bit less upbeat regarding the conference's 
outcome, expressing some anxiety as to whether the 
north/east would truly benefit from the understandings 
reached at Tokyo.  Amid the upbeat tone, there was also 
some press to the effect that many of the assistance 
pledges for Sri Lanka were contingent on the peace 
process's moving forward.  (Note:  See Ref C for local 
media and political reaction to the first day of the 
June 9-10 conference.  See our media reaction cable for 
a more detailed review of June 11 press play.) 
 
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President's Party ridicules Tokyo outcome 
----------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) The one major area where media coverage struck a 
bit of a down note involved remarks made by the key 
Opposition party.  In June 10 comments that received 
considerable press attention, People's Alliance (PA) 
party spokesman Dr. Sarath Amunugama called the USD 4.5 
billion in pledges made at Tokyo by donors "a huge debt 
trap...We are certainly not approving this mad rush to 
get money."  (Note:  The PA is led by President 
Kumaratunga, who shares a very tense cohabitation 
relationship with the PM and the GSL.)  Among his other 
tart comments, Amunugama went on to assert that the 
majority of the donor funds consisted of loans, not 
grants, for which "the total GDP of this country will 
not be enough to repay the annual installments." 
 
4.  (C) When asked about Amunugama's remarks, 
presidential advisor Eric Fernando -- a bit defensively 
-- told us that it was "the right of the Opposition" to 
criticize the government in power.  Saying that he 
(Fernando) was speaking as a private Sri Lankan citizen, 
however, Fernando added that he was gratified with the 
international community's faith in the peace process as 
exemplified by the efforts made at Tokyo. 
 
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President Still Mum 
------------------- 
 
5.  (C) Despite the fact that her party is piping off, 
President Kumaratunga continues to maintain an almost 
studied silence regarding the Tokyo conference. 
Fernando, the presidential adviser mentioned above, told 
us that he was not sure when or if the president would 
have a direct comment re Tokyo.  Noting that many 
speakers at Tokyo, including the PM and the Deputy 
Secretary, had praised the president, Fernando felt that 
 
SIPDIS 
there was little room left for the president to respond. 
Given the president's considerable history and 
experience of dealing with the Tigers, however, Fernando 
thought an "I told you so" was the only comment left 
unsaid by Kumaratunga.  (Note:  In saying this, Fernando 
was referring to the fact that the Tigers had 
controversially not attended the conference and have 
been in a difficult mood of late.  The president has 
long been a skeptic toward Tiger involvement in the 
peace process.)  In responding to press reports that the 
president and prime minister plan to meet soon to 
discuss the outcome of the conference, Fernando remarked 
that he anticipated such a meeting, but was not aware of 
a specific timeframe.  (Note:  Per Ref C, the president 
reportedly decided not to meet with Prime Minister 
Wickremesinghe before he left for the conference last 
week.  The PM apparently did meet with her key foreign 
policy adviser, Lakshman Kadirgamar, however.) 
 
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Japanese Reportedly set to Brief the Tigers 
----------------------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 
organization has also not publicly reacted to Tokyo as 
of late June 11.  (Note:  The Tigers usually issue their 
political statements by posting them on "TamilNet." 
While this pro-LTTE website has carried some reports re 
Tokyo, including the full text of the Deputy Secretary's 
opening remarks, it has not commented directly on the 
conference.)  There are some press reports, however, 
that the Japanese plan to brief the Tigers on the 
conference's outcome.  According to these reports, 
Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi plans to travel to 
London for talks with LTTE chief negotiator Anton 
Balasingham soon.  In the meantime, the Japanese 
ambassador to Sri Lanka is reportedly slated to meet 
with the Tigers in the LTTE-controlled Wanni region in 
northern Sri Lanka.  When asked, Japanese and Norwegian 
Embassy contacts, and the government's Peace 
Secretariat, could not confirm these reports. 
 
SIPDIS 
(Note:  Ref B flagged the possibility of the Japanese 
ambassador's visit to the Wanni, however.) 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  (C) Overall, there is a very warm glow about Tokyo 
in Sri Lanka.  Many contacts feel that the conference 
has bolstered the prime minister's position back home, 
for example, making it easier for him to move forward on 
the peace track.  All that said, there are real 
questions as to what the Tigers are thinking.  Since 
they pulled out of the peace talks in late April, the 
Tigers have been in a truculent, disruptive mood.  As 
the group digests what happened in Tokyo, it appears the 
LTTE has a real chance to re-engage.  Whether it will 
take that chance, remains very unclear.  END COMMENT. 
 
8.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS