PSI: Sri Lanka continues to review "Statement

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001666 SIPDIS NOFORN DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, NP, T, S/CT E.O. 12958: DECL: 09-25-13 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MNUC PARM CE MV SUBJECT: PSI: Sri Lanka continues to review "Statement of Interdiction Principles" document Refs: (A) State 272470 (C) State 262197 - (B) Colombo 1543 (D) State 254587 (U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. Reasons 1.5 (b, d). ¶1. (C) Per Ref A, Mission followed up on September 25 with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding its reaction to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) "Statement of Interdiction Principles" document. Rohan Perera, the MFA's Legal Adviser, told us that the GSL continues to review the document. The GSL is examining the initiative in a "favorable" manner, he said, though it understands that its focus is on WMD, and not conventional weapons of the sort smuggled by the Tamil Tigers. Perera added that there is a bit of a "vacuum" at the MFA at this time with the former foreign secretary just departing and the new one not yet in SIPDIS place. This might hold up the GSL's development of substantive points regarding PSI. ¶2. (SBU) The Ambassador has also been in touch with British High Commissioner Stephen Evans on this matter. Evans, acting on instructions from London, is coordinating with other PSI participant embassies to arrange a joint demarche to the Sri Lankan government on this subject soon. ¶3. (SBU) Mission has not received any reaction from the Maldivian government regarding PSI. ¶4. (C/NF) COMMENT: As alluded to by Perera, the focus of the GSL regarding sea interdiction is on the conventional arms resupply activities of the terrorist Tamil Tigers. PSI's focus on WMD and the GSL's focus on countering Tamil Tiger activities are not mutually exclusive, of course, and our guess is that the GSL will be willing to support PSI. The GSL, for example, has proven to be very helpful to the USG regarding the issue of suspect vessels in the past. We are working together with the UK to develop a representative group of PSI members, as we think such an approach would be useful. END COMMENT. ¶5. (U) Minimize considered. LUNSTEAD