Mission conveys points on fleeing Iraqi regime

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000675 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 4-17-13 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ CE MV SUBJECT: Mission conveys points on fleeing Iraqi regime officials; GSL responds positively to points Ref: State 98747 (U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b, d) ¶1. (C) Per Reftel, Mission has conveyed the points on fleeing Iraqi regime officials to the Sri Lankan and Maldivian Governments. Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Nihal Rodrigo assured the Ambassador that if the GSL had any information that a former Saddam official was trying to enter Sri Lanka the U.S. Embassy would be the first to know. Rodrigo added that the GSL is now preventing any monetary transfers into or out of Sri Lanka involving the local Iraqi embassy. The GSL is permitting internal monetary transactions, however, so that the embassy can continue to operate. ¶2. (C) The Maldivian government has not yet responded to our points, but we expect it will be cooperative on this important matter. ¶3. (U) Minimize considered. WILLS