Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03COLOMBO1713
2003-10-02 06:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

Tokyo co-chairs agree on modalities for review

Tags:  PREL PGOV EAID PREF CE 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.

020629Z Oct 03
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001713 

SIPDIS

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

PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-02-13
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PREF CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Tokyo co-chairs agree on modalities for review
of peace process

Refs: Colombo 1708, 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 SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001713

SIPDIS

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

PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-02-13
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PREF CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Tokyo co-chairs agree on modalities for review
of peace process

Refs: Colombo 1708, and previous

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


1. (U) Tokyo process co-chairs (Japan, EU - Italy, and
EC, Norway and US) met October 1 for briefing on EU
Troika meeting in New York on Sept 25 with PM
Wickremesinghe. New information from briefing was that:

--Italian Foreign Minister Frattini, on behalf of EU,
formally offered to host next round of peace talks in
Rome

--EC Commissioner for External Relations Patten plans to
visit Sri Lanka Nov 25-26 to discuss "monitoring and
human rights."


2. (SBU) Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar jumped at
mention of "monitoring," perceiving that this might be
an infringement of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission issues.
Ambassador Lunstead said that Tokyo Declaration stated
(para 18) that "the international community intends to
review and monitor the progress of the peace process
closely." Brattskar appeared mollified. Lunstead then
noted that para 20 of Tokyo Declaration stated further
with regard to reviewing and monitoring the peace
process that "in implementing its own assistance
programs, the donor community intends to take into
careful consideration the results of these periodic
reviews," and that "with full regard to the position of
Norway as the facilitator, Japan, in cooperation with
the US and the EU, will undertake necessary
consultations to establish the modalities for this
purpose." He wondered, being new in town, what had been
done for this purpose. He suggested that a working-level
working group be set up to take on this task, reviewing
progress in the peace process according to the
milestones laid out in para 18 of Tokyo. This would be
especially useful since the Sept 12 Tokyo follow-up
meeting had agreed that another follow-up meeting would
be held at year's end, and that a monitoring and review
meeting would be held preceding the Consultative Group
meeting at mid-2004. This complicated question would
need to be staffed up in a systematic way.


3. (SBU) Japanese Ambassador Ichiguro (call me "Itchy")
resisted this idea. He advocated that co-chair
Ambassadors could do this work themselves or, as a last
resort, could "bring a working-level person along to
Ambassadorial meetings." Persistent pressure from US
and EU finally persuaded him. It was agreed that a
working group would be set up with all major bilateral
donors initially participating, with multilateral
institutions perhaps participating later. Itchy
insisted, however, that this could only move forward
after being blessed by all major donor Ambassadors, and
that he could not convene a meeting to do this until
October 21. Participants agreed to this meeting.
Norwegian Ambassador noted that Norway's position was
different from other co-Chairs, as Norway was a
facilitator and peace monitor, and that it therefore
would have to think about whether or in what capacity it
might participate in the working group.


4. (C) COMMENT: This was actually a carefully-scripted
encounter which US and EU had worked out beforehand.
There is great unhappiness here in Colombo at Japanese
unwillingness to coordinate with others on follow-up to
Tokyo. This was seen clearly in the Akashi visit and
Tokyo follow-up meeting last month, where the Japanese
announced the meeting on short notice and tried to get
other donors to accept in toto documents prepared in
Tokyo without prior consultation. We seem now to have
agreement on a process to avoid a recurrence of that
situation. We will have USAID and Political Section
both participate in Working Groups.

5. (SBU) COMMENT (continued): On the morning of
October 2 donors received a letter from the GSL Peace
Secretariat stating that, as a follow-up to Tokyo

SIPDIS
Process, the GSL was setting up two committees: The
Donor Assistance Coordinating Committee (DAAC) and the
Programme Management Committee. First meeting of both
to be held October 6. These committees might well be
useful, if structured properly, but Government action in
setting them up without prior consultation is
disturbing. And it probably would not have happened if
the Japanese Embassy here, which is supposed to be
managing the process, had done its job and not left a
vacuum. Our position at the Monday meeting will be that
any new structures will need to be approved by donors
before they are set up.


6. (U) ACTION FOR TOKYO: We understand that Itchy's
successor was recently approved by the Cabinet, and that
he is the MFA man at JICA. Would appreciate any
information Embassy might have on him.


7. (U) Minimize considered.

LUNSTEAD