Mission deploys points re Secretary's speech

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000208 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, SA/PD, NEA/NGA; NSC FOR E. MILLARD LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 02-06-13 TAGS: PREL PGOV CE MV IZ SUBJECT: Mission deploys points re Secretary's speech to the UNSC Refs: (A) State 34169 (D) Colombo 170 - (B) Colombo 205 (E) Colombo 24 - (C) Colombo 185 (F) 02 Colombo 1879 (U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b, d). ¶1. (C) In lieu of Ambassador who was en route to Colombo from the Maldives, DCM drew on Ref A points in a February 6 conversation with Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Nihal Rodrigo. Rodrigo said the GSL does not SIPDIS have any plans for now to issue any public statement re the Secretary's February 5 speech to the UN Security Council. He noted that the Sri Lankan government had issued a statement re Iraq last week and it had no plans to change it. (Note: The statement, which is contained in Ref D, was quite constructive.) Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando is now in London and might have some comments if he is asked. Rodrigo promised to let Mission know if a public statement was forthcoming. ¶2. (C) Polchief also drew on Ref A points in a February 6 conversation with Maldivian MFA Permanent Secretary Dr. Shaheed. Shaheed had no comments on the SIPDIS Secretary's speech, but said the GoRM was reviewing it SIPDIS closely. ¶3. (U) Per Ref A, Mission has passed both the Sri Lankan and Maldivian MFA's the text of the Secretary's speech. ¶4. (U) For additional Sri Lankan and Maldivian reaction to the Secretary's speech, please see Ref B. ¶5. (U) Minimize considered. WILLS