Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03COLOMBO1583
2003-09-10 10:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

British shadow foreign secretary's meeting

Tags:  PREL PTER PGOV CE UK LTTE 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001583 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/UBI
NSC FOR E. MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09-10-13
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV CE UK LTTE
SUBJECT: British shadow foreign secretary's meeting
with the Tamil Tigers

Refs: Colombo 1565, and previous

(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead.
Reasons 1.5 (b, d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001583

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/UBI
NSC FOR E. MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09-10-13
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV CE UK LTTE
SUBJECT: British shadow foreign secretary's meeting
with the Tamil Tigers

Refs: Colombo 1565, and previous

(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead.
Reasons 1.5 (b, d).


1. (C) In a September 5 meeting with the Ambassador,
British High Commissioner Stephen Evans provided a
readout of a recent meeting between Michael Ancram, the
shadow foreign secretary, and Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) representatives. Evans said Ancram, joined
by Lord Ashcroft, a former Conservative Party official,
had met with S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE's political
chief, and Karuna, the group's eastern military
commander, on September 4 at a hotel near Colombo's
international airport. The venue was convenient for the
LTTE officials, who had just arrived back from visits to
France and Switzerland, and were transiting back to the
LTTE-controlled Vanni region in northern Sri Lanka.


2. (C) Reviewing the substance of the meeting, Evans,
who was also present, stated that Thamilchelvam had
remarked that the Tigers' recent in-house meeting in
Paris had gone well (see Reftels). The Tigers had
appreciated the advice given by the collection of (pro-
LTTE Tamil) legal experts who were in Paris for the
discussions. Thamilchelvam confirmed that those present
in Paris had developed draft counter-proposals to the
GSL's north/east interim administration proposal made in
July. After review by the LTTE leadership in the Vanni,
Thamichelvam related that the LTTE would provide a
consolidated response to the government via the
Norwegian facilitators within the next four weeks.


3. (C) Evans said Thamilchelvam was a bit vague
regarding the nature of the counter-proposals
themselves. He told Ancram, however, that the Tigers
would make clear to the GSL that it wanted an "interim
administration with teeth." The LTTE also wanted the
interim administration to be "transparent and
accountable." Thamilchelvam went on to indicate that
the counter-proposals would be based at least in part on
federalist models of government existing elsewhere, such
as in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.


4. (C) COMMENT: Meeting Ancram, one of the highest
level western politicians the group has ever met, was
certainly quite a coup for the Tigers and pro-LTTE press
outlets highlighted the meeting. Commenting on
Thamilchelvam's remarks, Evans told the Ambassador that
the Tigers had taken care to place a spotlight on their
study of other countries' federalist models. He
predicted that the LTTE's counter-proposals might
represent a challenge for the GSL because the group
might be planning to point to other models of
government, asking why Sri Lanka should maintain its
unitary system and not establish a looser federal
construct. In light of Thamilchelvam's comments, Evans
went on to predict that the LTTE's counter-proposals
would be "outside of Sri Lanka's current constitution."
END COMMENT.


5. (U) Minimize considered.

LUNSTEAD