US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1252

Disclaimer: This site has been first put up 15 years ago. Since then I would probably do a couple things differently, but because I've noticed this site had been linked from news outlets, PhD theses and peer rewieved papers and because I really hate the concept of "digital dark age" I've decided to put it back up. There's no chance it can produce any harm now.

IRAQI EMBASSY IN COLOMBO

Identifier: 03COLOMBO1252
Wikileaks: View 03COLOMBO1252 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Colombo
Created: 2003-07-17 08:36:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: PREL CE EUN
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001252 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  07/17/2013 
TAGS: PREL, CE, EUN 
SUBJECT:  IRAQI EMBASSY IN COLOMBO 
 
REF:  A. (A) COLOMBO 1238 
      B. (B) COLOMBO 1214 
      C. (C) 7/15 SA/INS E-MAIL 
 
Classified By:  CHARGE DON CAMP; REASONS 1.5 B, D. 
 
1.  (C) Charge and newly-arrived DCM met Foreign 
Secretary Nihal Rodrigo july 17.  Rodrigo quickly focused on 
 
SIPDIS 
issue MFA had raised before (reftels) of status of Iraqi 
Embassy in Colombo.   He had heard from Sri Lankan Ambassador 
in Baghdad that Iraqi Ambassador in Colombo was part of the 
problem, and that Iraqi Embassy operations here would be 
suspended.  He said he hoped that, pending reopening, there 
could either be a protective power here to represent Iraqi 
interests, or that the Iraqi Ambassador in Delhi would be 
accredited to Colombo as well.  He again cited the 
significant economic interest the GSL has in its tea trade 
with Iraq (at the pre-war high point, Iraq took 61 percent of 
Sri Lanka,s tea exports). 
 
2.  (C) Charge said we were inquiring of Washington about 
the longer-term status of the Iraqi mission in Colombo and 
would get back to him on that.   He assured Rodrigo that we 
had no objection to issuance of visas to the two Iraqi 
diplomats in New Delhi seeking entry to Colombo 
 
3.  (C) Request Department clarify status of Iraqi 
Embassy closure/suspension here, and comment, if possible, on 
FonSec,s alternative options. 
 
CAMP 

Latest source of this page is cablebrowser-2, released 2011-10-04