C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000589

SIPDIS

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

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04-07-13
TAGS: PGOV PTER EAID ASEC CE NO JA LTTE
SUBJECT: Tamil Tigers criticize U.S. over "exclusion"
from Washington seminar

Refs: (A) SA/INS-Colombo 04/04/03 class e-mail
- (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 041354Z Apr 03
- (C) Colombo 576, and previous

(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.
Reasons: 1.5 (b, d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a rare formal public statement, the
Tamil Tigers have criticized the U.S. over not being
invited to the upcoming Washington Seminar on Sri Lanka.
Mission is also picking up some low-key bad vibes from
the group's supporters in Sri Lanka over the matter.
Overall, our guess is that the Tigers -- who know very
well they are on our FTO list -- will get over their
disappointment at not being invited in short order. END
SUMMARY.

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Tigers Hit Out at U.S.
--------------


2. (SBU) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
have criticized the U.S. over not being invited to the
State Department-sponsored Washington Seminar on Sri
Lanka. (Note: The April 14 seminar will bring together
over 30 countries and many international organizations
to discuss Sri Lanka's peace process, and reconstruction
and development needs. It is part of the leadup to the
Tokyo donors conference in June. End Note.) The LTTE's
comments were made in a formal public statement issued
late April 4. (Note: Key sections of the statement are
contained in Para 8.)


3. (SBU) In its specifics, the LTTE's statement said
the group was "disappointed by its exclusion" from the
conference. The statement claimed that the government
and the LTTE had agreed to an "equal and joint
partnership" regarding efforts to solicit international
assistance. By not inviting the Tigers to the seminar,
"the United States (had) undermined this joint effort by
isolating the LTTE and solely promoting the GSL at the
preliminary meeting on April 14...(The U.S. decision)

also undermines confidence in both the reconstruction
initiative and the peace process." The statement closed
by urging donors to endorse "joint participation" by the
GSL and the LTTE in reconstruction and development
efforts in the future.

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A Rare Formal Public Statement
--------------


4. (C) The way the statement was issued indicated the
high precedence that the LTTE gave the matter. Tiger
views are often carried by pro-LTTE web-sites and
newspapers. The April 4 statement, however, was issued
as an "urgent press release" direct from the LTTE's
civilian offices in Kilinochchi in Tiger-controlled
northern Sri Lanka. It is very rare for the usually
secretive group to issue a formal press statement, which

SIPDIS
is something it does only on matters it considers highly
important. (Note: In the past, for example, the group
has issued formal statements on such major issues as its
agreement to enter into face-to-face talks with the GSL
late last year and its agreement to the terms of the
February 2002 ceasefire accord.)

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Bad Vibrations from LTTE Supporters
--------------


5. (C) In the days before the issuance of the
statement, Mission had been picking up bad vibrations
from LTTE supporters toward the U.S. Last week, for
example, a pro-LTTE contact in Jaffna recommended that a
Mission poloff not visit Jaffna at this time because the
situation was "tense" there. Asked to explain, the
contact asserted that Tamils were not happy with U.S.
policy over Iraq and were planning a demonstration on
April 4. As reported in Mission updates re local
reaction to Operation Iraqi Freedom (see Septels),
Mission had picked up absolutely no signs of dissonance
from Tamils re U.S. actions in the Gulf up to the point
when this comment was made. Mission later heard that
the LTTE, angry over not being invited to the Washington
seminar, was indeed the sponsor of the April 4 anti-war
rally in Jaffna city. (Note: In any event, the rally
was peaceful and quite small, with only about 40 people
in attendance.)


6. (C) (((Note: Poloff asked M. Senethirajah, a senior
Tamil National Alliance, "TNA," MP, about the press
statement. Senethirajah, who is very pro-LTTE,
responded that he had no comment at this time. He noted
that TNA MPs were due to meet with LTTE leaders in
Kilinochchi on April 10 in one of their periodic
meetings. He said this meeting should provide more
clarity re LTTE views on this matter.)))

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


7. (C) Despite their evident disappointment, our guess
is that the Tigers will get over this matter in short
order. We doubt the group wants to pick a fight with
the U.S. The Tigers know very well that they are on our
Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list and had no
chance of being invited to the U.S. to attend the
April 14 meeting. (Note: In the days preceding the
Tiger statement, Mission had been underscoring this
point re the FTO with news organizations when asked
about the USG position. Department made the same point
in its press guidance contained in Ref A.) Indeed, the
tone of their statement was more one of sorrow than of
anger. In issuing the press statement, the LTTE was
probably making a public show of disappointment for the
sake of its Tamil supporters. END COMMENT.

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LTTE Statement
--------------


8. (U) Key sections of the LTTE's press statement
follow:

Begin text:

Urgent Press Release
LTTE Headquarters
Kilinochchi
April 4, 2003

LTTE's Exclusion from Donor Conference Undermines Peace
Process

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is
disappointed by its exclusion from the international
conference to support reconstruction and rehabilitation
efforts in the north and east of Sri Lanka to be hosted
by the United States in Washington on April 14.

From the outset of the Norwegian-brokered negotiations,
the two parties to the conflict, the LTTE and the
Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), agreed to equal and
joint partnership in efforts to solicit international
financial assistance for reconstruction and
rehabilitation efforts in the north and east of Sri
Lanka. We point out that Sub-Committee on Immediate
Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs was formed in the
context of this equal and joint partnership. It was
also in this context that the first international donor
conference held in Oslo on November 25, 2002 was
successfully staged. Whilst funds were pledged for
urgent needs at that meeting, a larger donor conference
to be held in June this year in Japan was promoted as
the main forum for securing international assistance for
reconstruction efforts in the war-torn Tamil areas.

Regrettably, the United States has undermined this joint
effort by isolating the LTTE and solely promoting the
GoSL at the preliminary meeting on April 14. The
exclusion of the LTTE from reconstruction efforts in the
Tamil areas of Sri Lanka is against the spirit of the
peace process. It also undermines confidence in both
the reconstruction initiative and the peace process.
The LTTE is therefore dismayed and disappointed by the
US action.

We call upon the United States and international donors
to actively support the Norwegian peace process by
endorsing the joint participation of the LTTE and GoSL
in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the
north and east of Sri Lanka.

End text.


9. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS