From: <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article3954298.ece">Aftenposten</a><br>
Date: 6.5.2003

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000755
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT NSC FOR E. MILLARD
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL E.O. 12958: 
DECL: 05-06-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PINS, CE, NO, JA, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: Norwegians, Japanese press Tigers to return to 
talks and to attend donors conference 
Refs: (A) Colombo-SA/INS 05/06/03 fax
- (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 050411Z May 03
- (C) Colombo 750, and previous (Notal)
(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of Mission. Reasons: 1.5 (b, d)

1. (C)
SUMMARY: Norwegian and Japanese representatives are urgently
trying to convince the Tigers to get back to the peace table
and to attend the June donors conference. So far, the Tigers
are not playing ball. The next best chance to change their
minds seems to be GoJ envoy Akashi´s May 7 meeting with Tiger
leader Prabakharan. In other peace-related news, the PM was
conciliatory toward the Tigers in an address to Parliament on
May 6. At this point, it seems a fifty- fifty wager as to
whether the Tigers will climb down from their hard-line
stance. END SUMMARY

2. (C)
NORWEGIANS MEET TIGERS: Norwegian and Japanese facilitators
are urgently trying to convince the Tigers to get back to the
peace table and to attend the June donors conference. In the
latest of an increasingly tangled skein of tag team-type
meetings, Norwegian facilitators met with Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief negotiator Anton Balasingham upon the
latter´s arrival at Colombo´s international airport on May
5. (Note: The London-based Balasingham has returned to Sri
Lanka for talks with his leadership in the LTTE-controlled
Wanni region of northern Sri Lanka.  Norwegian facilitators
had met with LTTE Political Chief Thamilchelvam in the Wanni
on April 30 -- see Ref C.)

3. (SBU)
Commenting to the press about the May 5 meeting, GoN Deputy
Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen, who is now in India, stated
that "I feel we have a good dialogue with the parties and we
will work on that over the next week."  When pressed, Helgesen
went on to admit that the Tigers had not committed to return
to the peace table with the GSL, and had not agreed to come to
the June donors conference. The Norwegians´ next meeting with
the LTTE is planned for May 8 when special envoy Erik Solheim
is slated to meet Balasingham in the Wanni.

4. (SBU)
JAPANESE EFFORTS: In the meantime, a high- level Japanese
envoy is also in country with the aim of pressing the LTTE to
get back to the talks and to change its mind re the donors
conference. The envoy, Yasushi Akashi, will be in Sri Lanka
from May 3-9 on a wide- ranging visit, which will include
talks with government and Opposition figures. Akashi is also
expected to travel to eastern Sri Lanka, where communal
tensions are high due to friction between the LTTE and the
local Muslim community. (Note: These tensions intermittently
flare into violence and did so most recently in the
Trincomalee town of Mutur in mid-April. Akashi´s itinerary
includes a stop in this town.)

5. (C)
In a May 5 meeting with Ambassador Wills, Akashi confirmed
that he planned to meet with LTTE leader V.  Prabhakaran on
May 7 in the Wanni. Akashi said he hoped to use this meeting
to press Prabhakaran hard to change his mind re the peace
talks and the Tokyo conference. He allowed that he was not
sure how much he could move Prabhakaran on these issues, but
he said he would do his best.

6. (SBU)
PM SPEAKS TO PARLIAMENT: In other peace- related news, the PM
was conciliatory toward the Tigers in an address to Parliament
on May 6. (Note: See Ref A for the text of his remarks.) The
PM´s statement is expected to be the opening salvo of a debate
in Parliament on the government´s handling of the peace
process.

7. (SBU)
In his long statement, the PM confirmed the government´s
stance that it wanted the Tigers to return to the peace talks
as soon as possible. Reacting to LTTE claims that the GSL was
not doing enough in this key area, the PM added that the
government was committed to taking steps to improve the
humanitarian situation in the north and east. The PM went on
to stress that the government was willing to examine the issue
of how to handle the military security zones in Jaffna, which
the Tigers want to see sharply reduced. One way to do this, he
emphasized, was for the government and the LTTE to work
closely with retired Indian general Satish Nambiar, who
recently prepared a report with recommendations on how to
handle the security zones issue (see Ref C for an analysis of
this report).

8. (C)
COMMENT: At this point based on our soundings, it seems a
fifty-fifty wager as to whether the Tigers will climb down
from their hard-line stance. Although they deal with the
Tigers more than anyone else, the Norwegians, while not
flummoxed per se, do not seem to have a solid grasp of where
the Tigers are leaning at this time -- and nor does anyone
else. In this regard, Akashi´s scheduled meeting with
Prabhakaran could be very important. Akashi, who dealt with
the remnants of the Khmer Rouge during his UN days in
Cambodia, would seem well-positioned to size up
Prabhakaran. In the process, hopefully, he will gain some
insights into whether the Tigers want to stabilize the process
or create more turbulence. END COMMENT.

9. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS
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