From: <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article3954276.ece">Aftenposten</a><br>
Date: 26.11.2002

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002195
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, SA/PD FOR IRWIN;
AND S/CT NSC FOR E. MILLARD E.O. 12958:
DECL: 11-26-12
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, EAID, KPAO, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process, Political Parties
SUBJECT: OSLO MEETING REAPS LAVISH, UPBEAT PRESS COVERAGE;
DEPUTY SECRETARY´S REMARKS EARN PRAISE
Refs: Colombo 2184, and previous
(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Charge d´Affaires. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).

1. (C)
SUMMARY: The Oslo meeting on the Sri Lankan peace process has
received lavish, upbeat press coverage. Deputy Secretary
Armitage´s remarks -- which were specifically highlighted in
the press coverage -- earned special praise. President
Kumaratunga has not yet issued a public statement on the
meeting, but members of her party are planning a rally in
Colombo today protesting the GSL´s peace initiative. Our
preliminary assessment is that the Oslo meeting provided the
peace process a solid boost. END SUMMARY.

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OSLO GARNERS LAVISH, UPBEAT COVERAGE
------------------------------------

2. (SBU)
The November 25 Oslo "Sri Lanka Peace Process Support Meeting"
received lavish and upbeat press coverage back home. In
November 26 newspaper editions, coverage was front-page and
above-the-fold, with large photo spreads. With most of the
focus on Deputy Secretary Armitage´s remarks (see more in Para
6), representative headlines from the major papers included:
-- "Daily News" (English): "U.S. urges LTTE to Renounce Terrorism"
-- "Daily Mirror" (English): "United States urges Tigers to Give Up Terror"
-- "The Island" (English): "PM Calls on Global Community to Help Lanka Now"
-- "Dinamina" (Sinhala): "America Says LTTE should Publicly Declare
that they have Given Up Armed Confrontation"
-- "Lankadeepa" (Sinhala): "Armitage -- LTTE should Give Up Idea of
Separate State and Armed Struggle"

3. (SBU)
Most editorials portrayed the Oslo meeting as a key boost for
the peace process. The editorial in "The Island," a paper that
invariably takes a strongly anti-peace process tack, did not
mention the Oslo meeting, however. (Note: "The Island"
preferred to lambaste putative plans by the government to
allow a re- broadcast on a government radio channel of LTTE
leader´s V. Prabhakaran´s annual "Heroes´ Day" address on
November 27 -- see Reftel.)

4. (U)
Television and radio also provided significant coverage of the
meeting. Opening remarks by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe,
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) special negotiator
Anton Balasingham, and Deputy Secretary Armitage were given
special attention.

5. (SBU)
"TamilNet," the pro-LTTE website, provided several stories on
the Oslo meeting. Most of its reporting, predictably, focused
on Balasingham´s remarks. Reflecting a newfound commitment to
balanced reporting, however, TamilNet also provided a thorough
review of Deputy Secretary Armitage´s remarks, including his
call for the LTTE to renounce, terrorism, violence, and
separatism.

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SPECIAL PRAISE FOR U.S. REMARKS
-------------------------------

6. (C)
In discussions with a wide variety of contacts, Deputy
Secretary Armitage´s remarks drew special praise. Most of the
comments focused on that section of the remarks that referred
to the LTTE. Reaction included: -- Kethesh Loganathan, an
analyst at the Center of Policy Alternatives, a local
think-tank, told us that the U.S. presence at the meeting was
constructive in underscoring international support for the
peace process. In addition, the Deputy Secretary´s remarks had
set "clear-cut boundaries" (renounce terrorism and violence,
etc.) that the LTTE needed to absorb fully if the group wanted
increased international acceptance. -- Taranjit Sandhu, the
polcouns at the Indian High Commission, also praised the
Deputy Secretary´s remarks. He stressed that the comments re
the LTTE should prove beneficial in convincing the group that
it needed to do more to convince the international community
that it had transformed itself. Sandhu went on to express some
concern that the LTTE might get the wrong message from the
meeting and believe that the fact that it was allowed to be
present at all signified international acceptance. -- Harim
Peiris, a spokesman for President Kumaratunga, told us that he
thought that the Deputy Secretary´s remarks were positive and
should prove "bracing" for the LTTE. It was important that the
group not believe that it had already earned international
acceptance. -- Joseph Pararajahsingham, a senior Tamil
National Alliance MP, welcomed U.S. participation at the Oslo
meeting. While not commenting directly on the Deputy
Secretary´s remarks re the LTTE, Pararajahsingham was SIPDIS
not critical of those remarks either. He said he thought Oslo
was a great success for the peace process. (Note:
Pararajahsingham is extremely pro-LTTE. He said he had just
gotten back to Colombo from a LTTE "Heroes´s Day" celebration
in his hometown of Batticaloa.) (Note: TamilNet cited
Balasingham as welcoming U.S. participation in the Oslo
meeting by stating: "The American participation in this
meeting is an extraordinarily important matter for us because
it reinforces the point that the LTTE is a crucial partner in
resolving the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.")

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OPPOSITION PLANS RALLY
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7. (C)
President Kumaratunga, who has long been at odds with Prime
Minister Wickremesinghe, has not yet come out with a public
statement in reaction to the Oslo meeting. Her assistant,
Harim Peiris, said he would hold a press conference tomorrow
to review the president´s stance.  Peiris seemed to indicate
that the president would not be taking a negative position,
but that her reaction would be positive-themed.

8. (C)
In the meantime, members of Kumaratunga´s People´s Alliance
(PA) party are planning a rally in Colombo today (November 26)
protesting the GSL´s handling of the peace process. Several
senior PA MPs reportedly plan to participate in the rally,
including Anura Bandaranaike (the president´s brother),
Mangala Samaraweera, and Dinesh Gunarwardena. MPs from the
radical Janantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will also
participate.  (Note: Judging from previous anti-peace process
rallies, most of the crowd will consist of JVP supporters.)
Queried about the rally, Peiris separated the president´s
office from it, asserting that the rally did not involve
President Kumaratunga.

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COMMENT
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9. (C)
It is still early, but our preliminary assessment is that the
Oslo meeting provided the peace process a solid boost. Per
expectations (see Reftels), most of the focus at the meeting
reportedly was on the message that the international community
supports the peace process -- and not on pledging by
donors. That political message was well received and was
amplified significantly by U.S. participation. In addition,
based on the press coverage, our message re the LTTE was also
broadcast loud-and-clear. Whether the LTTE picked up on our
message -- aside from Balasingham´s publicized comments to the
effect that the LTTE could not totally forswear violence at
this time -- will be tested in the first instance on November
27 by the substance of Prabhakaran´s annual address (see
Reftel). END COMMENT.

10. (U) Minimize considered.

AMSELEM
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