Sri Lanka update: PM begins next steps in

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001942

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR D, SA, SA/INS, SA/PD, S/CT; DS/DSS/ITA; DS/IP/NEA/SA
DEPARTMENT ALSO PLEASE PASS TOPEC
NSC FOR E. MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11-10-13
TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER ASEC CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Sri Lanka update: PM begins next steps in
governing; President invites PM for talks

Refs: (A) Colombo-SA/INS 11/10/03 unclass email
- (B) Colombo 1930, and previous

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has
begun consulting with party members and members of the
international community to map out the next steps for
his government. Indications are that he may transfer
control of the peace process to President Kumaratunga,
given difficulties with her responsibility for defense
matters. Reports indicate that Parliamentarians will
request that the President resume Parliament earlier
than November 19. On November 10, President
Kumaratunga, for her part, invited the PM for talks,
following her November 7 call for the formation of a
"government of reconciliation." Despite earlier
reports, the President's office now denies that a state
of emergency was ever declared. A planned visit by
Norwegian peace facilitators is still on. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) PM RETURNS, BEGINS CONSULTING: Following Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's November 7 return to
Colombo, the PM spent the weekend consulting with party
leaders in an effort to map the next steps for his
government. (Note: The 19-mile journey from the
airport took the Prime Minister 9 hours as crowds
thronged the route in a show of support.) On November
9, the PM met with Ambassador Lunstead, Norwegian
Ambassador Hans Brattskar, and separately with Indian
High Commissioner Nirupam Sen, outlining possible UNP
actions. Septel contains a readout of this and other
meetings.


3. (C) NO SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR PEACE: G.L.
Peiris, a key government minister and the United
National Party (UNP) spokesman told a press conference
on November 9 that the PM was willing to transfer
responsibility for the peace process to President
Kumaratunga. Referring to the President's control of
the defense portfolio, Peiris noted that there could not
be a situation of "shared responsibility" between the
President and PM. He further stated that, in the view
of the government, it would not be possible to proceed
with the peace process unless one party had full
control. Peiris added that "if he (the PM) does not
control defense, the interior and the media, it is not
possible for the Prime Minister to accept responsibility
for the process."


4. (C) SPEAKER CONVENES PARTY LEADER MEETING: Speaker
of Parliament J.M. Perera called a meeting of
Parliamentary party leaders on November 10 to discuss
the situation following President Kumaratunga's November
4-5 actions. In addition to the PM's United National
Party (UNP) leaders, members of the Tamil parties --
Tamil National Alliance, Ceylon Workers Congress,
Upcountry People's Front -- as well as the Sri Lanka
Muslim Congress also attended the meeting. The
President's People's Alliance (PA) party, the Muslim
National Unity Alliance (NUA),and the extremist Marxist
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) boycotted the meeting.
According to Mission contacts, of those present at the
meeting, it was unanimously decided to petition the
Speaker that Parliament be reconvened on November 12.
The petition, to be signed November 11, would then be
submitted to the President.


5. (C) PRESIDENT INVITES PM FOR TALKS, OUTLINES PLANS
TO NATION: Late November 10, the President's office
released a statement, saying that the President has
invited the PM for talks regarding her November 7 call
for a "Grand Alliance" of all parties. The invitation
follows her televised November 7 speech (ref A) to the
nation where President Kumaratunga cited her reasons for
assuming control of the defense and interior portfolios
and called for a national government of reconciliation.
In the speech, the President said her decision to take
control of the ministries was based on the "callous
irresponsibility" of the government's actions regarding
defense and police matters. Later, she shared her
proposals for Sri Lanka's future, including:

-- Grand Alliance: The President called on all parties
in Parliament, asking them to join her in a "Grand
Alliance" with the objective of forming a "Government of
National Reconstruction and Reconciliation."

-- Ceasefire: Despite declaring the ceasefire "invalid"
because it was not "signed under the hand of the
President," she later stated that the ceasefire "will
continue to stand." The President further said that the
armed forces "have been instructed by me to abide by the
ceasefire agreement."

-- Norwegian Facilitators: Qualifying her support for
the Norwegians as peace process facilitators, the
President indicated the Norwegians' efforts will
continue with "clear instructions regarding the
parameters and limits of their responsibilities."

-- Peace Process: The President called upon the Prime
Minister to continue the peace process, while she
retained responsibility for defense issues.

-- Parliament: Referring to its two-week suspension,
the President declared that Parliament "will meet from
November 19 onwards."


6. (C) NO STATE OF EMERGENCY, DESPITE EARLIER REPORTS:
In an official press release on November 7, the
President's office said that a state of emergency had
not been signed by the President. Contrary to earlier
media reports (November 4-6) that a state of emergency
had been declared and the President's own November 5
admission to Charge' about the state of emergency (see
Ref B),the press release stated that emergency
regulations had been prepared only for an "eventuality."
Those draft regulations, the release said, led to the
belief that a state of emergency had actually been
declared. Instead, the President reportedly ordered
armed forces to protect certain government
installations, under public security ordinances already
in place.


7. (C) NORWEGIAN VISIT STILL ON: Norwegian Ambassador
Hans Brattskar confirmed to Ambassador that the planned
November 10-13 Sri Lanka visit by Vidar Helgesen,
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, and special envoy
Erik Solheim was going forward as scheduled. The visit,
planned in the wake of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) October 31 counterproposals submitted to
the GSL, was to evaluate the island-wide reaction to the
counterproposals and discuss modalities for returning to
talks. The Norwegian team is still planning to travel
to the Vanni and meet with the LTTE, presuming the Sri
Lankan Air Force provides a helicopter, as usual. A
late report on November 10 is that Tiger leader V.
Prabakharan himself will meet with them.


8. (C) COMMENT: In contrast to the President's sudden
November 4-5 actions, the Prime Minister, buoyed by
overwhelming support upon his return from Washington,
has carefully begun to address the political situation.
While his party has gone about efforts to continue
governing and retaining support, the PM has focused on
the need for the peace process to continue with a sole
responsible leader. The President, perhaps sensing she
miscalculated, has tried to soften her actions by
calling for all parties to work together, including
inviting the PM for talks (in addition to her clumsy
effort to wriggle out of the state of emergency issue
now that she sees the negative fallout from it). The
PM, however, seems in little mood for a compromise. As
for the Tigers, despite low rumblings of discontent over
the President's actions, they remain quietly wary. END
COMMENT.


9. (U) Minimize considered.

LUNSTEAD