From: <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article3954366.ece">Aftenposten</a><br>

<pre>
11/12/2003 11:45
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001956
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR D, SA, SA/INS, SA/PD, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC E.O. 12958:
DECL: 11-12-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PTER, PINR, NO, CE, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: Sri Lanka update: No resolution in "cordial" President-PM meeting; 
Norwegians here to meet all sides
Refs: (A) Colombo 1943 - (B) Colombo 1942, and previous
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).

1. (C)
SUMMARY: Prime Minister Wickremesinghe met with President
Kumaratunga on November 12 with no discernible resolution to
the political turmoil. A Norwegian delegation arrived to meet
with all parties regarding recent political events and its
effect on the peace process.  Separately, Tamils and Muslims
expressed concern over the Presidentīs November 4-5 actions to
the visiting Norwegian peace facilitators. Buddhist monks told
the President she should have consulted with the PM prior to
taking action. As the various parties continue discussions,
the next week may be crucial to the resolution of this
political stalemate. END SUMMARY.

President meets with PM
-----------------------
 
2. (C)
On November 12, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe met with
President Kumaratunga, in response to the latterīs invitation
to discuss her "grand alliance" government proposal. While
there has been no substantial readout of the 2 and a half hour
meeting, Bradman Weerakoon, the PMīs secretary has been quoted
as saying it "went well," and characterized it as "cordial and
friendly." Reports indicate that, as no agreement between the
President and PM was reached, they have agreed to further
talks. A joint President/PM press statement issued late on
November 12 confirmed that further talks would be planned for
next week.

Norwegians arrive to hear all partiesī sides
-------------------------------------------- 

3. (C) 
Vidar Helgesen, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister and special
envoy Erik Solheim began their visit on November 11 by meeting
separately with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka
Muslim Congress (SLMC) parliamentarians. (See below for TNA
and SLMC comments on the meetings with the Norwegians.) Tomas
Stangeland, Norwegian Embassy political officer, told poloff
on November 12 that the delegation remains concerned about the
peace process, but will not make any public comments until it
speaks with all parties. The Norwegian delegation is scheduled
to meet with President Kumaratunga late afternoon on November
12, before going to LTTE headquarters in the Wanni on November
13 for a meeting with Tiger leader V. Prabakharan. According
to Stangeland, Helgesen intends to brief the diplomatic
community early on November 14 before returning to Norway.
4. (C) Helgesen and Solheim, in a November 12 meeting with
Ambassador, said the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) told
them that the military was conducting themselves properly in
recent days. Helgesen also said that Norway would find it
difficult, if not impossible, to continue the facilitation
role if it were not clear who was in charge in the
government. In additional comments to poloff on November 12,
Agnes Bragadottir, SLMM spokeswoman, said that there "had been
little change in the functioning of the defense forces," in
response to the Presidentīs takeover of the Defense ministry.

Tamils express concern over Presidentīs sincerity 
------------------------------------------------- 

5. (C)
In a November 11 meeting, members of the pro- Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) TNA told visiting Norwegian
special envoy Erik Solheim that defense arrangements should
"remain in the hands of one party that is dedicated to take
forward the current peace process with sincerity," according
to press reports.  Gajen Ponnambalam, TNA MP, told Pol FSN on
November 12 that it was "impossible" to work with the
President on the peace process while she held the Defense
portfolio, as there was no trust in the President among the
Tamil community. Echoing Ponnambalamīs comments, Joseph
Pararajasingham, another TNA member, told poloff that the
peace process should continue under the PM, as Tamils could
not have faith in President Kumaratungaīs handling of the
peace process, given some of her past actions towards the
LTTE, such as her non-response to a unilateral ceasefire
offered by the group in 2000. In an effort to discuss their
concerns, a TNA delegation is scheduled to meet with the Prime
Minister late on November 12.

Muslims cite concerns in meeting with Norwegians 
------------------------------------------------ 

6. (C)
For their part, eight Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs
expressed to the Norwegians their concern that the GSL will
not take responsibility for any peace process negotiations
without control of the defense and interior
ministries. A.M. Jaufer, Parliamentary Secretary to senior
Muslim leader Rauf Hakeem, told

SIPDIS

poloff on November 12 that the group further made clear their
demand for a separate Muslim delegation at future GSL-LTTE
peace talks. Jaufer, confirming that the SLMC was formulating
a response to the LTTEīs October 31 counterproposals to the
GSL, anticipated another two months before the response was
finalized.

GSL: Determine responsibility before talks resume 
--------------------------------------------------

7. (C)
G.L. Peiris, a key government minister and the United National
Party (UNP) spokesman (not to mention the lead negotiator with
the LTTE), told press late on November 10 that the government
needed to determine who would be responsible for the peace
process before direct negotiations with the Tigers could
resume. Peiris stated that it was "realistic to assume" that
the Presidentīs actions of November 4-5 had placed the peace
process at "some risk," according to press reports.  Peiris
reiterated the earlier UNP position that responsibility for
the peace process should reside in one person, adding that if
President Kumaratunga was not willing to take responsibility
for the peace process "in total," then she should return
control of the three key ministries she had assumed.

Buddhist clergy negative on Presidentīs actions 
-----------------------------------------------

8. (C)
At the Presidentīs invitation, Buddhist clergy met with her on
November 12 to hear the explanation of her takeover of the
defense, interior, and mass communications ministries.
Reverend Wimalaratana, a well-respected, moderate Buddhist
monk who attended the meeting, told us that the President
underscored that current security situation combined with the
PMīs failure to listen to her advice led her to take action.
In response to the Presidentīs actions, the clergy told the
President that she should have consulted with the PM prior to
taking over the ministries. According to Wimalaratana, the
President replied that she felt compelled to act and had no
time for discussions with the PM. In speaking about the peace
process, the President told the clergy that she was not ready
to accept full responsibility for the peace process, but
wanted to work together through her proposal for a "grand
alliance" for all parties. The monks expressed doubt about the
future of the peace process, but stated to the President that
peace process efforts should continue.

9. (C)
In November 12 conversations with the political section, two
members of the Buddhist clergy from the Malwatte and Asgiriya
temples (the two leading monastic orders) expressed their
disappointment with the President and her actions. Venerable
Dehideniye Ratanasara, deputy chief of the Malwatte temple,
told Pol FSN that the Presidentīs actions were destabilizing
for the country. Ratanasara felt that the President should
support the PM in his governmentīs efforts to negotiate a
peaceful, durable solution with the Tigers.  Venerable
Koshinne Dhammarama from the Asgirya temple further mentioned
that, in working with the government, the President should
return control of the ministries to the GSL.

10. (C)
COMMENT: As the various parties continue discussions, the next
weeks may be crucial to the resolution of this political
stalemate. The PM continues to emphasize that he cannot
continue the peace process if there is split responsibility,
i.e. if the President continues to hold the Defense
portfolio. As for the President, various parties continue to
speak out against her actions of last week. The effort of
resolving the impasse between the PM and President is likely
to be lengthy, with the peace process on hold in the
meantime. We find it very encouraging, however, that the first
PM-President meeting lasted at least two hours and that
apparently agreement was reached to meet again. END COMMENT.

11. (U) Minimize considered.

LUNSTEAD 
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