C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001861

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/NB; NSC FOR

E. MILLARD

DEPARTMENT PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-29-13
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER CE NO LTTE
SUBJECT: Norwegians sending placeholder response to
President on request for removal of chief monitor

Refs: Colombo 1858, and previous

(U) Classified by Charge' d'Affaires James F. Entwistle.
Reasons 1.5 (b,d).

SUMMARY
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1. (C) Norway is sending a letter to President
Kumaratunga informing her that it is reviewing her
demand that chief monitor Tellefsen be fired and that
the GoN will prepare its own report on the initial
October 16 incident which sparked the controversy. The
Norwegian Ambassador told the Charge' that the GoN is
playing for time, hoping the matter will blow over.
Tellefsen, in the meantime, is returning to Norway for
consultations. Tamils are exasperated with the
President, but the Tigers are mum so far (as the
Norwegians have asked them to be). Although her demand
has left a bad taste, it is positive that the Tigers'
long-awaited plans on unveiling their power-sharing
ideas appear to be moving ahead as scheduled. END
SUMMARY.

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Norway sending Reply
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2. (C) The Norwegian government is sending a letter to
President Kumaratunga informing her that it is reviewing
her demand that the chief of the Sri Lanka Monitoring
Mission (SLMM) Tryggve Tellefsen be fired for
purportedly being pro-Tamil Tiger (See Reftels).
(Note: This is the second letter the GoN is sending to
the President after her demand that Tellefsen be
removed. A short letter confirming receipt of the
President's letter on the matter was sent earlier this
week.) In an October 28 conversation with the Charge',
Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar said the latest
letter was basically a placeholder, informing the
President that the GoN was carefully reviewing her
demand. The letter noted that Norway would prepare its
own report on the original October 16 incident which
sparked the controversy. (Note: Per Reftels, the
October 16 incident involved a SLMM officer's phone call

to the Tigers asking the group about reports that one of
its arms resupply ships had been spotted off the
northeast coast.) In doing so, the GoN would have to
consult with the GSL Ministry of Defense, the LTTE, and
the other Nordic countries that have provided monitors
to the SLMM.


3. (C) Brattskar related that he was meeting President
Kumaratunga late October 29 to deliver the letter and
review the situation further. He confided to the
Charge' that Norway was essentially "playing for time,"
hoping that the President would let the matter blow over
without igniting more controversy. After the letter is
delivered, the Norwegian Embassy plans to issue a press
statement summarizing its contents, Brattskar said.


4. (SBU) In another development, Kjersti Tromsdahl told
poloff that October 29 press reports that SLMM chief
Tellefsen is returning to Oslo for consultations were
accurate. It is not clear how long he will be away from
Sri Lanka.

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Tigers Mum; Plans for Counterproposal Rollout Intact
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5. (C) For its part, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) organization has kept mum regarding the
President's demand for Tellefsen's removal. There have
been fact-based articles posted on the situation on the
pro-LTTE website "TamilNet," but no LTTE commentary. In
his conversation with the Charge', Brattskar noted that
he had called the LTTE to request that it not go public
and inject itself in the controversy, as that would only
complicate matters.


6. (C) At this point, the plans for the Tigers'
unveiling of their long awaited counterproposals on the
GSL's north/east interim administration offer remain
intact and, per Reftels, include the following strands:

-- On October 31, Brattskar will fly to the LTTE-
controlled town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka to
collect the group's response.

-- Brattskar will then give the LTTE's response to the
GSL.

-- In the first public presentation of the proposals,
S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE political chief, is
scheduled to hold a press conference in Kilinochchi on
November 1. The schedule now calls for the press
conference to begin at 10:00 A.M. Over 150 Sri Lanka-
and foreign-based journalists have reportedly requested
LTTE credentials for the briefing.

-- The text of the Tiger response will then be posted on
TamilNet at the time of the press conference or soon
after it concludes.

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Tamil Politicians Upset
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7. (C) While the Tigers themselves have been quiet,
Tamil politicians with close links to the LTTE have gone
public with their deep concerns about the President's
demand regarding Tellefsen and reports that she told the
military that it is free to ignore him (see Reftels).

N. Raviraj, a Tamil National Alliance MP from Jaffna and
one of the politicians quoted in the press, told poloff
October 29 that the President's demand was
"irresponsible" and "totally unwarranted." Speaking in
angry tones, Raviraj, who is normally quiet and
unassuming, added that her demand might jeopardize the
peace process. It also put "people on the wrong
footing" on the eve of the Tigers' unveiling of their
counterproposals.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) Although it might have been popular with her
most rabid, anti-peace process supporters, the
President's demand regarding Tellefsen has left a bad
taste all around. It certainly has made life much
harder for the Norwegian facilitation effort, especially
at a time when the GoN is working overtime to revivify
the process by bringing the Tigers back to talks. One
net positive is that the LTTE's plans on unveiling their
power-sharing ideas appear to be moving ahead as
scheduled. While the group remains quiet, however, it
is pretty clear by the thread of the remarks of Tamil
politicians that the Tigers are angry about the
President's latest move. END COMMENT.


9. (U) Minimize considered.

ENTWISTLE