Despite some Opposition criticism, the Tokyo

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001018

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06-11-13
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EAID KPAO CE JA NO LTTE
SUBJECT: Despite some Opposition criticism, the Tokyo
conference continues to generate a positive reaction

Refs: (A) Tokyo 3766 (Notal)

- (B) Tokyo 3765 (Notal)
- (C) Colombo 1008, and previous

(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.
Reasons: 1.5 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Tokyo donors conference continues
to generate a positive reaction in Sri Lanka. The
president maintains a studied silence, however, despite
some criticism of the conference by her party. The
Tamil Tigers, who controversially did not go to Tokyo,
have also been mum, thus far. There are reports that
the Japanese plan to meet with the Tigers soon.
Overall, there is a very warm glow about Tokyo in Sri
Lanka, but the Tigers remain a wildcard. END SUMMARY.

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Continued Positive Reaction to Tokyo
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2. (SBU) Media reaction in Sri Lanka to the Tokyo
donors conference generally continues to be very
positive (except for one key exception -- see
Paras 3-4). Local English-language and vernacular
(Sinhala and Tamil) newspaper coverage focused heavily
on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's closing remarks,
which were very laudatory of the international
community. The papers also highlighted the "Tokyo
Declaration on Reconstruction and Development of Sri
Lanka," which was issued June 10. The Tamil-language
press was a bit less upbeat regarding the conference's
outcome, expressing some anxiety as to whether the
north/east would truly benefit from the understandings
reached at Tokyo. Amid the upbeat tone, there was also
some press to the effect that many of the assistance
pledges for Sri Lanka were contingent on the peace
process's moving forward. (Note: See Ref C for local
media and political reaction to the first day of the
June 9-10 conference. See our media reaction cable for
a more detailed review of June 11 press play.)

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President's Party ridicules Tokyo outcome
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3. (C) The one major area where media coverage struck a
bit of a down note involved remarks made by the key
Opposition party. In June 10 comments that received
considerable press attention, People's Alliance (PA)
party spokesman Dr. Sarath Amunugama called the USD 4.5
billion in pledges made at Tokyo by donors "a huge debt
trap...We are certainly not approving this mad rush to
get money." (Note: The PA is led by President
Kumaratunga, who shares a very tense cohabitation
relationship with the PM and the GSL.) Among his other
tart comments, Amunugama went on to assert that the
majority of the donor funds consisted of loans, not
grants, for which "the total GDP of this country will
not be enough to repay the annual installments."


4. (C) When asked about Amunugama's remarks,
presidential advisor Eric Fernando -- a bit defensively
-- told us that it was "the right of the Opposition" to
criticize the government in power. Saying that he
(Fernando) was speaking as a private Sri Lankan citizen,
however, Fernando added that he was gratified with the
international community's faith in the peace process as
exemplified by the efforts made at Tokyo.

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President Still Mum
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5. (C) Despite the fact that her party is piping off,
President Kumaratunga continues to maintain an almost
studied silence regarding the Tokyo conference.
Fernando, the presidential adviser mentioned above, told
us that he was not sure when or if the president would
have a direct comment re Tokyo. Noting that many
speakers at Tokyo, including the PM and the Deputy
Secretary, had praised the president, Fernando felt that

SIPDIS
there was little room left for the president to respond.
Given the president's considerable history and
experience of dealing with the Tigers, however, Fernando
thought an "I told you so" was the only comment left
unsaid by Kumaratunga. (Note: In saying this, Fernando
was referring to the fact that the Tigers had
controversially not attended the conference and have
been in a difficult mood of late. The president has
long been a skeptic toward Tiger involvement in the
peace process.) In responding to press reports that the
president and prime minister plan to meet soon to
discuss the outcome of the conference, Fernando remarked
that he anticipated such a meeting, but was not aware of
a specific timeframe. (Note: Per Ref C, the president
reportedly decided not to meet with Prime Minister
Wickremesinghe before he left for the conference last
week. The PM apparently did meet with her key foreign
policy adviser, Lakshman Kadirgamar, however.)

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Japanese Reportedly set to Brief the Tigers
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6. (C) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
organization has also not publicly reacted to Tokyo as
of late June 11. (Note: The Tigers usually issue their
political statements by posting them on "TamilNet."
While this pro-LTTE website has carried some reports re
Tokyo, including the full text of the Deputy Secretary's
opening remarks, it has not commented directly on the
conference.) There are some press reports, however,
that the Japanese plan to brief the Tigers on the
conference's outcome. According to these reports,
Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi plans to travel to
London for talks with LTTE chief negotiator Anton
Balasingham soon. In the meantime, the Japanese
ambassador to Sri Lanka is reportedly slated to meet
with the Tigers in the LTTE-controlled Wanni region in
northern Sri Lanka. When asked, Japanese and Norwegian
Embassy contacts, and the government's Peace
Secretariat, could not confirm these reports.

SIPDIS
(Note: Ref B flagged the possibility of the Japanese
ambassador's visit to the Wanni, however.)

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COMMENT
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7. (C) Overall, there is a very warm glow about Tokyo
in Sri Lanka. Many contacts feel that the conference
has bolstered the prime minister's position back home,
for example, making it easier for him to move forward on
the peace track. All that said, there are real
questions as to what the Tigers are thinking. Since
they pulled out of the peace talks in late April, the
Tigers have been in a truculent, disruptive mood. As
the group digests what happened in Tokyo, it appears the
LTTE has a real chance to re-engage. Whether it will
take that chance, remains very unclear. END COMMENT.


8. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS