C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001629

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD;
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09-05-12
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINS KPAO CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Sri Lankan government lifts ban on the
Tamil Tigers, clearing the way for talks

Refs: (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 041504Z Sep 02

- (B) Colombo 1616, and previous

(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Charge d'Affaires.
Reasons 1.5 (b, d).


1. (U) Suggested press guidance for Department's review
is contained in Para eight.


2. (C) Summary: The GSL lifted its ban on the Tamil
Tigers late September 4. By doing so, the government
acceded to a key demand of the Tigers, paving the way
for the planned high-level talks in Thailand. Most
observers do not expect the announcement to result in
serious flak for the GSL, but there has been some
criticism from political opponents. Suggested press
guidance supporting the GSL's action and noting that the
LTTE remains on our FTO list is contained in Para eight.
End Summary.

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GSL Lifts Ban
--------------


3. (SBU) The GSL lifted its ban on the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) late September 4. In an
order to be published in the government's legal gazette
soon, the Defense Ministry announced that the LTTE would
no longer be specifically named as a proscribed
organization under the terms of public security
ordinances. The announcement noted that the GSL retains
the power to re-impose the ban. The Defense Ministry's
action effectively reversed the GSL's January 1998
decision to ban the LTTE, which was taken in response to
the bombing of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, a site
held sacred by Buddhists. (Note: The GSL had originally
indicated that it planned to lift the ban on
September 6. Why it moved up the timeframe is not
clear, but it is possible that astrology -- an important
factor in Sri Lanka -- played a role.)


4. (SBU) By making the announcement, the government
acceded to a key demand of the Tigers. For years now,
the LTTE has specifically set out the lifting of the ban
as a condition for high-level negotiations. The GSL's
action helps pave the way for the first round of talks
to take place a

s planned in Thailand beginning
September 16.

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Reaction falls on Predictable Lines
--------------


5. (C) As foreshadowed in Ref B, reaction to the
government's announcement fell along predictable lines.
For example:

-- Norwegian Embassy polchief Tomas Stangeland said the
GoN welcomed the decision as it cleared the way for the
Thailand talks.

-- Kumar Ponnambalam, a MP representing the generally
pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance, praised the move. He
was worried, however, that the GSL had made clear that
it had the authority to re-impose the ban, which he felt
was not a "good faith sentiment." (Note: The pro-LTTE
website TamilNet highlighted the GSL's announcement in a
September 5 posting, but did not comment on it.)

-- Jehan Perera, the head of a well-known local think-
tank working on peace-related issues, welcomed the
decision, asserting that it was necessary for peace.

-- The radical left, Sinhalese extremist Janantha
Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party condemned the
announcement, claiming that the government was rewarding
terrorists. The JVP promised to take to the streets in
protest.
-- Ferial Ashraff, a MP and head of the National Unity
Alliance (NUA), was quoted as criticizing the move,
asserting that the government should have taken care of
the concerns of Muslims before taking the step.
(Note: The NUA maintains close links with President
Kumaratunga's People's Alliance party. As of late
September 5, the President's office had not issued a
statement, but Kumaratunga had made clear that she
opposed the move in comments made earlier this week --
see Ref B. End Note.)

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Comment
--------------


6. (C) The government's decision to lift the ban is an
important symbolic step, as it allows the LTTE to claim
that the government recognizes it as a respectable
partner for negotiations. (Note: The decision actually
has little practical effect insofar as the government
has not been implementing the ban against LTTE political
activities for months now in any case.) On the other
hand, the fact that lifting the ban was so important an
issue for the LTTE tends to indicate a degree of respect
toward the views of the GSL rarely shown by terrorist
groups toward their opponents.


7. (C) As noted above, it is also a controversial step,
which has provoked criticism, including from President
Kumaratunga and extremist Sinhalese. Despite the flak,
most observers do not expect the announcement to result
in serious political problems for the GSL, given the
depth of public support for the peace process and the
fact that the GSL has been carefully laying the
groundwork for the announcement for months now. As far
as the U.S. is concerned, an important point is that the
GSL wants us to keep the LTTE on our FTO list as a means
of maintaining international pressure on the group. End
Comment.

--------------
Suggested Press Guidance
--------------


8. (U) The following is suggested press guidance for
Department's review:

Begin text:

The U.S. understands and supports the Sri Lankan
government's decision to lift its ban on the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the context of moving
forward with negotiations to end the conflict. As we
have noted before, we welcome the recent decision of the
two sides to begin talks in Thailand on September 16.
We also welcome the Norwegian government's role in
facilitating the talks.

The U.S. listing of the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization (FTO) will remain in effect until the group
renounces terrorism in word and deed.

End text.

(Note: In response to numerous press queries today,
Mission has already deployed key points reviewed in the
suggested guidance above.)


9. (U) Minimize considered.

AMSELEM