US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1387

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001387 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  08-08-13 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, KPAO, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Key Minister expresses optimism that talks 
could begin in September; No movement on Tiger camp 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1370, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by James F.Entwistle, Charge' d'Affaires. 
Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  G.L. Peiris, a key minister, has 
announced that the peace talks could start up again by 
September.  In related news, the U.S. press statement 
speaking out in support of resuming talks has received 
widespread publicity and reaction from contacts is 
rolling in.  Concerning another peace track issue, there 
has been no movement on the unauthorized Tiger camp in 
the east, and the monitors -- admitting failure --  have 
passed the issue over to the Norwegian facilitators. 
The Italian embassy here has advised that Italy, as EU 
president, would be willing to host the next round of 
peace talks, whenever it takes place.  Our sense is that 
Peiris may be a tad optimistic re the September date. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) PEIRIS' ANNOUNCEMENT:  In his weekly press 
conference held on August 7, G.L. Peiris, a key minister 
responsible for peace process issues, announced that he 
thought that the peace talks with the Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could begin in September. 
(Note:  In an August 6 meeting with the Charge' and SFRC 
staffer Jonah Blank, Peiris had also mentioned the 
September timeframe.)  The Tigers, who pulled out of the 
talks in April 2003, have not yet publicly reacted to 
Peiris' announcement.  During the press conference, 
Peiris also reacted to some recent criticism of a GSL 
proposal on forming an interim structure to govern the 
north/east, stating:  "My government will not agree to 
any proposal that appears to pave the way for the 
division of the country."  (Note:  The radical JVP party 
has hit out at the proposal -- see Reftels.  President 
Kumaratunga has basically avoided criticizing the 
government on the issue so far, but was quoted in August 
8 papers as ridiculing the LTTE's interest in the peace 
process and a negotiated solution.) 
 
3.  (SBU) PRESS STATEMENT NETS BIG PUBLICITY:  In a 
related matter, the U.S. press statement issued on 
August 6 calling for a timely resumption of talks and 
calling attention to LTTE transgressions has received 
widespread publicity.  The statement was featured on TV 
and radio news, and received large headlines on the 
front-pages of English-, Sinhalese- and Tamil-language 
newspapers.  (Note:  In addition to PAO's e-mail to 
SA/INS today, Mission is preparing a media reaction 
cable, which will go out early next week, and take 
account of what will likely be copious weekend newspaper 
commentary.) 
 
4.  (C) Reaction to the statement from political 
contacts continues to roll in.  A number of contacts 
have told us that the U.S. statement was totally on the 
mark in pressing the LTTE to stop its targeted political 
killings and to comply with the rulings of the monitors 
(see below).  Other reaction has fallen along Sri 
Lanka's long-standing political fault-lines, with pro- 
LTTE Tamil politicians either reserved on the subject, 
or telling us that the statement was too critical of the 
Tigers.  Not surprisingly, Sinhalese chauvinists did not 
think the U.S. statement went far enough in criticizing 
the Tigers.  Former Sri Lankan ambassador Nanda Godage, 
who is the rare hard-liner working for the GSL's Peace 
Secretariat, told us that the statement was "very much 
 
SIPDIS 
too soft" on the Tigers.  Godage's comments mirrored 
those of an editorial in the anti-peace process ISLAND 
newspaper on August 8. 
 
5.  (C) NO MOVEMENT ON CAMP:  Concerning other peace 
process developments, there has been no movement 
regarding an unauthorized LTTE camp in Trincomalee 
District.  The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) 
office in Trincomalee has confirmed to us that the "Wan 
Ela" camp is still there and that there is no indication 
that the LTTE cadre inhabiting the camp plan to leave 
anytime soon.  (Note:  The monitors are routinely able 
to visit the camp and gossip with its roughly 15 LTTE 
guards with no problem.  The camp is set in a semi- 
jungle area about as big as two soccer fields.)  Poloff 
also spoke to SLMM Deputy Chief Hagrup Haukland who 
confirmed that the LTTE had received an "official" note 
on August 7 from the LTTE confirming that it had no/no 
plans to vacate the site.  This note was in line with 
what LTTE officials have been telling the press in the 
past several days.  Haukland said the SLMM could not do 
much about the matter at this point and had handed over 
the issue to the Norwegian government facilitation team 
to work on. 
 
6.  (C) AUTUMN IN ROME?:  In other news, the Italian DCM 
told Charge' August 7 that his government, in its 
capacity as EU president, would like to host the next 
round of GSL-LTTE peace talks, whenever it takes place. 
He said the GSL supports the idea and that the Italian 
ambassador will probably pitch the idea to the LTTE at 
some point. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT:  Our sense is that Peiris may be a tad 
optimistic re the September date.  The matter is really 
out of Peiris' hands, with the LTTE having to decide on 
its course of action and they have not yet shown their 
hand.  Regarding the camp, there is little doubt that 
the Norwegian facilitators will press the Tigers on the 
matter.  That said, the Norwegian ambassador confided to 
Charge' the other day that the GoN cannot do much more 
than try some "tough talk" with the Tigers.  The Tigers 
are a stubborn group and, while they do respect Norway, 
they are just as apt to shrug off the GoN's 
intervention.  END COMMENT. 
 
8.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
ENTWISTLE