OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 123 (08/26/03)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001490 SIPDIS OFFICIAL INFORMAL DEPARTMENT FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/13 TAGS: AMGT CE MV LTTE SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 123 (08/26/03) CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE' JAMES F. ENTWISTLE; REASONS 1.5 B, ¶D. CONTENTS: PEACE PROCESS UPDATE - GORM PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION PROCESS GUANTANAMO MALDIVIAN TREASURY ADVISOR TOR SIGNED PEACE PROCESS UPDATE -------------- ¶1. (C) FYI. Just wanted to flag the following peace track items: -- Paris Meeting: Beyond that reviewed in Colombo 1482, we have no new news to report re the LTTE's Paris meeting. The Norwegian Embassy here told us that Special Envoy Erik Solheim was slated to join the LTTE meeting today or tomorrow, as expected. -- Latest on LTTE Camp: We checked with the SLMM and confirmed press reports that the monitors held a meeting on August 25 with LTTE officials (local Trincomalee leaders Pathuman and Thilak) re the unauthorized "Wan Ela" camp in the east. The Tigers seemed a tad more accommodating on the matter than in the past, indicating that it was fine with them if the monitors visited the Wan Ela camp, as well as other LTTE camps in the area. The Tigers said they would study the SLMM's request to vacate the site and get back on the issue in a week or so. -- Threat by Muslim MPs: We had mentioned in yesterday's o/i reports that two MPs aligned with Rauf Hakeem's Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) were considering leaving the party for the Opposition. The two MP's, who are angry about the recent LTTE-instigated violence in the east, are still debating their course of action, but have not taken the plunge and joined the PA yet. We understand that both men have threatened to defect before, but were talked out of it by Hakeem (who no doubt provided them some carrots to stay on -- he does not have many sticks). As we noted yesterday, if the two cross-over to the PA, the UNF coalition would technically lose its majority in Parliament, but, with almost certain support from Tamil parties, would not fall. There is no crisis atmosphere over this matter, but it is a headache for the government. (POL) -- Situation in East: Based on what we are hearing, the east appears to be calming down a bit after the turbulence of the past week or so. There was a LTTE- instigated work stoppage in Trincomalee on August 25, but no reports of violence. As flagged in Colombo 1482, two Muslims, who were presumably grabbed by the LTTE in the east, remain missing. Four Tamil youths, who were reportedly nabbed by Muslims, also remain missing. -- JVP protest march: The radical leftist Janathi Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has been conducting a protest march from the southern town of Galle to Colombo the last several days. Onlookers have described the march, which began on August 25, as "peaceful," with participants shouting anti-GSL and anti-Norwegian slogans (the Norgies are fondly called the "white tigers"). The march is scheduled to wind up in Colombo on August 28. By the way, the JVP and the SLFP (the main constituent element of the PA) are scheduled to meet today re their possible alliance. Per Colombo 1406, there still seem to be stumbling blocks dividing the two sides, and no one expects a "joint pact" to be signed and sealed in the near-term. (POL) GORM PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION PROCESS -------------- ¶2. (C) FYI. In a conversation with polchief on August 25, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, Permanent Secretary in the Maldivian MFA, confirmed that exact dates had yet to be set for the presidential selection vote in the Majlis ("parliament"),or the subsequent "yes/no" national referendum. Shaheed expected that the Majlis vote would be in mid-to-late September, with the request for candidates being issued just after September 11. The national referendum would probably take place in October and the presidential inauguration in November, he noted. This timeframe is consistent with our reporting in Colombo 1384. Gayoom remains hands down favorite to win. (POL) GUANTANAMO MALDIVIAN -------------- ¶3. (C) We'll send in a frontchannel on our very interesting discussion this morning with the two Maldivian officials who interviewed their compatriot in Guantanamo. While the GORM still wants to run down some angles on the gentleman's case, we will not be surprised if we are asked in the months ahead to return the fellow to Male'. (CDA) TREASURY ADVISOR TOR SIGNED -------------- ¶4. (SBU) We wanted to let you know that the Terms of Reference for the second Treasury Advisor on Debt Management was signed by Ministry of Finance Secretary Ratwatte and U.S. Treasury's Debra von Koch. Treasury will be looking for USAID funding to come through, and for a candidate to fill this position. Please keep us informed on the NSDD-38 process for the new Treasury personnel. (ECON) ENTWISTLE