Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03COLOMBO218
2003-02-07 06:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

SA/INS Director visits Jaffna -- discussions

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER PHUM CE JA 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.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000218 

SIPDIS

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

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02-07-13
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM CE JA LTTE
SUBJECT: SA/INS Director visits Jaffna -- discussions
with military and Tamils focus on security zone issue

Refs: Colombo 202, and previous

(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000218

SIPDIS

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

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02-07-13
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM CE JA LTTE
SUBJECT: SA/INS Director visits Jaffna -- discussions
with military and Tamils focus on security zone issue

Refs: Colombo 202, and previous

(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: SA/INS Director David Good led a
Mission team to Jaffna on February 6. The major topic
of conversation was the Sri Lankan military's "high
security zones." The military stated that there were
other pressing needs that need to be addressed before
the security zones should be reviewed. Tamil leaders
stressed that the zones had displaced large numbers of
civilians and that a reduction in their size allowing
the resettlement of IDP's would be a major confidence-
building measure. Even with the disagreement over the
zones, there was a palpable feeling among interlocutors
-- GSL and Tamil -- that the peace process was a net
positive and needed to continue. END SUMMARY.

--------------
Sri Lankan General stands firm
--------------


2. (C) Visiting SA/INS Director David Good led a Mission
team including Poloff and Pol FSN to Jaffna on
February 6. The first stop for the team was the Sri
Lanka Army's (SLA) headquarters at Palaly Airbase. SLA
commander for the Jaffna Peninsula Major General Fonseka
used the discussion to stress the need for the GSL and
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to pursue
issues other than the "high security zones."
(Note: The Sri Lankan military's security zone network
covers about 18 percent of Jaffna's land area. The LTTE
and other Tamils have been demanding a sharp reduction
in the size of the zones. See Reftels for further
background.)


3. (C) While admitting that the security zones were
large and that he understood the source of Tamil
concerns, Fonseka spent a significant amount of time
detailing his argument that only a small number of
families were actually affected by the security zones in
a negative way. He further argued that a very
substantial part of returning Internally Displaced

Persons (IDP's) could be settled outside of the security
zones. In any case, Fonseka asserted, there had been a
net population outflow from Jaffna in the past several
months, as Tamils left due to concern with the LTTE.
(Note: We are not sure the evidence backs up this last
statement by Fonseka. According to the latest UNHCR-
generated information, over 300,000 IDP's -- mostly
Tamils -- have returned to their places of origin in the
north and east since the start of the peace process in
December 2001.)


4. (C) Another of Fonseka's key points re the security
zones was that the LTTE remained a serious threat to GSL
armed forces in the Jaffna region. Fonseka pointed to
what he characterized as a pattern of LTTE-instigated
incidents meant to harass some of the SLA's smaller
military outposts in Jaffna. He also asserted that
whereas the Sri Lankan military had withdrawn from areas
stipulated in the February 2002 ceasefire accord, the
LTTE continued to violate terms of the agreement. Given
this situation, the GSL had to move cautiously with
respect to the security zone issue -- a hasty withdrawal
could provide the LTTE a decisive strategic advantage.
He also commented that he was working closely with
Satish Nambiar, a retired Indian general who was
drafting a report on the security zone issue. Fonseka
showed little enthusiasm for the report, reiterating
that the key objective must be security for GSL armed
forces in the region. (Note: The LTTE has underscored
that it will reject Nambiar's report if the draft not
meet its demands for a sharp reduction in the size of
the zones. Nambiar is currently visiting Sri Lanka and
his report should be released soon.)

--------------
Tamils press Humanitarian Needs
--------------


5. (C) While in Jaffna, Director Good also met with a
variety of Jaffna's religious and civil leaders. The
leaders -- most of whom were Tamil -- focused their
concerns on what they considered the humanitarian
aspects of the security zones, arguing that they should
be reduced in size. They argued that government steps
in this key area would constitute a major confidence-
building measure. Catholic Bishop of Jaffna Thomas
Savundranayagam summarized the basic argument when he
stated that the IDP's returning to Jaffna do not want to
just have a roof over their head as the military might
suggest. Rather, they want to return to their ancestral
homes and return to their previous professions of
farming or fishing. For this to take place, the IDP's
required and hoped for considerable outside assistance.
Senior Hindu priest for Jaffna Somasundaram Swamigal
added that the continued overwhelming presence of the
military throughout the peninsula served to remind Tamil
civilians that they remained "under military
occupation." He argued that the negative psychological
effect that this situation has on Tamil children was
immeasurable.


6. (C) P. Vigneswaran, leader of the NGO Council in
Jaffna, was even more strident. He stated that the
military had to vacate the security zones immediately.
He repeatedly stressed that the military is the main
impediment to progress toward peace in Jaffna.

--------------
Some Convergence of Views
--------------


7. (C) Good stressed during each meeting that the issues
currently being discussed were issues of peace and not
of war, thus there was improvement over just a year ago.
Despite their sharp disagreement over the security zone
issue, all interlocutors -- military and Tamil -- agreed
with that. The ease of travel, the lifting of
checkpoints, and -- most importantly -- the end of
fighting created a measurable improvement in the quality
of life for all involved. Good also asked his
interlocutors about their perception of commitment by
the GSL and LTTE to the peace process. Everyone
believed that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was
committed to making the peace process work. Although
Fonseka did not address the issue of the politics in the
south, informal conversations with his staff seemed to
show the same concern in the military as Jaffna's
civilian population for the issue of "cohabitation"
between the president and Prime Minister. Where the
views diverged was on the role of the LTTE. The
military, the Muslim community, and the international
aid workers (UNICEF, ICRC, and Sri Lanka Monitoring
Mission representatives) all focused on some of the
practices of the LTTE that had to end. On the other
hand, Tamil civil society leaders (though not religious
leaders who did not touch on the matter) either stated
that the LTTE was not carrying out acts such as the
recruitment of children or excused incidents such as
taxes as needed in response to the military.


8. (C) Good emphasized during each meeting the USG's
commitment to help where it could. He stated that the
highest levels of the USG were interested in Sri Lanka's
peace process and that we were committed to help. He
stated that the USG will commit to more demining
activities and that the Deputy Secretary hoped to attend
the upcoming donor's conference in Tokyo (see Reftels).
Each interlocutor expressed gratitude for the efforts of
the USG and for the visit to Jaffna.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) During the Jaffna visit, the security zone issue
came out loud-and-clear as the issue on most everyone's
mind. With the military and most Tamils on different
sides of the fence regarding this matter, it is
obviously going to be a very complicated and tricky to
work out. As he moves forward with his report, General
Nambiar is clearly going to have his hands full. On the
positive side of the ledger, there was a convergence of
opinion among all interlocutors of whatever stripe that
the peace process had brought improvements and needed to
continue. (Note: The fifth round of GSL-LTTE peace
talks is scheduled to take place February 7-8 in
Berlin.) END COMMENT.


10. (U) Director Good cleared on this message.


11. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS