C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000140

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, INR/NESA; NSC FOR E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR CE NO LTTE
SUBJECT: Next round of talks in Europe, as status of
LTTE senior negotiator's health sparks concerns

Refs: (A) Oslo-Colombo 01/23/03 e-mail

- (B) Colombo-SA/INS 01/23/03 e-mail
- (C) Colombo 120, and previous

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Norway has announced that the next
round of GSL-LTTE talks will take place in Europe,
February 7-8, not Thailand. The exact venue has not yet
been formally set, but Berlin looks a strong bet. The
switch was necessitated by the health condition of LTTE
negotiator Balasingham, who lives in London, and wants
the talks to be nearby. The GoN also confirmed that the
February talks will focus on human rights and
humanitarian issues. Given Balasingham's key role in
the peace process, the status of his health is sparking
increased concerns. END SUMMARY.

================
Next Stop Europe
================


2. (SBU) The Norwegian Embassy in Colombo sent out a
press release on January 23 officially announcing that
the fifth round of Sri Lankan government - Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) talks will take place in
Europe and not in Thailand as previously planned.
(Note: This shift was foreshadowed in Ref C.) The
dates of the talks will be February 7-8, a timeframe
truncated from the original February 7-10 dates.
(Note: The Norwegian government's press release was
passed to SA/INS in Ref B.)

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Berlin Seems Likely Venue
=========================


3. (C) The exact venue of the talks has not yet been
formally set. According to contacts in the GSL and the
Norwegian Embassy, possible choices for the next
location include Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and
Norway, where the third round of talks took place in
early December 2002. Late January 24, Mission was told
by Norwegian Embassy poloff Tomas Stangeland that the
talks would probably be held in Berlin at the Norwegian

Embassy there. The Berlin venue has not yet been
officially announced, Stangeland said, but it will
probably be set soon.


4. (SBU) As noted in Refs A and C, the UK is also a
possibility, as it is where LTTE senior negotiator Anton
Balasingham lives (his health condition precipitated the
change in venue -- see below). Given the UK's legal
proscription of the LTTE, however, UK visas for Sri
Lanka-based LTTE delegation members might be difficult
to obtain. (Note: While not part of the official
rounds of talks, senior GSL Minister Milinda Moragoda
held a highly-publicized Norwegian-facilitated meeting
with Balasingham in London in July 2002.)

====================
LTTE requests Change
====================


5. (C) Although the GoN press release did not
specifically say it, contacts confirm that Balasingham's
health was the key factor in the change of venue and
dates. (Note: Balasingham has a serious kidney problem
that demands constant medical care, including dialysis.)
Stangeland of the Norwegian Embassy told us that
Balasingham himself requested the changes about ten days
ago. Confirming information in Ref A, Stangeland said
Balasingham's health had not seriously deteriorated, but
that he was very tired from the long plane flights to-
and-from Asia. By having truncated talks at a European
venue, he hoped to rest up for future trips, including
to the LTTE-controlled Wanni region to meet with Tiger
leaders ahead of the March round of talks in Japan.

=======================
Focus of February Talks
=======================


6. (C) The GoN press release also confirmed that the
February talks will focus on human rights and
humanitarian issues. GSL and Norwegian contacts have
told us that the exact agenda regarding these topics had
not yet been developed. Ian Martin, a former high-
ranking member of Amnesty International, will serve as
coordinator for the discussions on human rights issues,
which will focus on LTTE actions, including its forcible
recruitment of children (see Ref C). We have also been
told by GSL contacts that the two sides may work to
ensure that the February talks steer away from
controversial topics such as the security zones in
Jaffna, so as to make the discussions less onerous on
Balasingham.

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COMMENT
=======


7. (C) The Norwegians seem to be trying their best to
assure one-and-all that Balasingham's long-standing
health problems are not worsening and that he is only
tired. That may well be the case, but concerns are
increasing that Balasingham's tiredness is part-and-
parcel of a seriously deteriorating renal condition --
and that he may be on his way toward being
incapacitated. Given the secrecy of the Tigers,
Mission, unfortunately, has little way to confirm such a
dire prognosis. That said, if Balasingham is somehow
sidelined, it raises real question marks about the
future of the peace process. Balasingham is close to
LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran and also has extensive
international exposure, qualities that few others in the
LTTE have (no close matches come to mind, in fact).
Given the potential stakes, the GSL is clearly worried
about the issue. END COMMENT.


8. (U) Minimize considered.
AMSELEM