OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 142 (09/29/03)

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001687 SIPDIS OFFICIAL INFORMAL FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/13 TAGS: AMGT CE MV SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 142 (09/29/03) CLASSIFIED BY DCM JAMES F. ENTWISTLE FOR REASONS 1.5 b and d. CONTENTS: FTA - PM UNGA COMMENTS ON IRAQ FTA --- ¶1. (C) FYI, we are sending a front channel based on our conversation today with Jim Robertson regarding the GSL analysis of the Chile and Singapore FTAs. It appears the GSL may believe they are further along than we previously thought. According to Jim, Ambassador Subasinghe is meeting at 1630 today in Washington with USTR and Ashley Wills and will be handing a draft negotiating document for their consideration (we do not yet have a copy). Sorry for the late notice, but hopefully we are at least a couple hours ahead of the curve. (ECON) PM UNGA COMMENTS ON IRAQ -------------- ¶2. (C) We wanted to be sure that all parties in Washington had caught the supportive language on Iraq in Ranil's UNGA speech: "There are members in this hall today who believe passionately that the US and their allies were wrong in intervening in Iraq. Then there are those of us who feel that the US and their allies had no choice but to intervene, that the failure of the UN had created the need for a world policeman however reluctant it might be." This has created a lot of editorial flap here over the weekend, in some cases bundled with criticism of Sri Lanka's support for us at Cancun and then cited as an example of how the PM is a lapdog of "the West." (DCM) LUNSTEAD