In possible sign of a thaw, Tigers meet with

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000738

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR

E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05-02-13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINS CE NO JA KWMM
SUBJECT: In possible sign of a thaw, Tigers meet with
Norwegian facilitators carrying messages from GSL

Refs: (A) Colombo-SA/INS 05/02/03 fax

- (B) Colombo-SA/INS 04/30/03 class e-mail
- (C) FBIS Reston Va DTG 301441Z Apr 03
- (D) Colombo 728, and previous

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Norwegian facilitators met with the
Tigers on April 30. The Norwegians were carrying
letters from the GSL in response to the Tigers' recent
withdrawal from the peace talks and a key assistance
committee. In other news, the peace track gets even
busier next week as top LTTE, Norwegian, and Japanese
officials visit Sri Lanka. The fact that the April 30
meeting took place is an indication that peace process
tensions may be receding a bit. END SUMMARY



2. (SBU) MEETING IN THE WANNI: In the first meeting of
its kind in some time, Norwegian Ambassador Hans
Brattskar and MFA envoy Jon Westborg met with Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political Chief S.P.
Thamilchelvam on April 30. (Note: Westborg was
Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka before Brattskar
recently took up the post.) The meeting took place in
the LTTE-controlled Wanni region in northern Sri Lanka.


3. (C) Tomas Stangeland, polchief at the Norwegian
embassy, told us that the meeting was held in a cordial
atmosphere. He added that it was also "constructive."
He confirmed that the main purpose of the meeting was
for the Norwegians to provide the LTTE two letters from
the GSL (see Para 4-5 for more details re the letters).
Stangeland, who attended the meeting, added that the
Norwegian side had also discussed several problems
relating to the implementation of the February 2002
ceasefire agreement. (Note: In addition to the meeting
in the Wanni, we have heard reports that Norwegian
special envoy Erik Solheim was planning to meet LTTE
chief spokesman Anton Balasingham in London soon.)


4. (U) GSL LETTERS TO THE LTTE: The first letter
provided by the Norwegian facilitators contained a
response by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to the LTTE's
April 21 pullout from the peace talks. (Note: The text
of the PM's letter was sent to SA/INS in Ref B.) The
PM's letter was conciliatory in tone, making several
specific points in response to Balasingham's earlier
letter pulling out of the negotiations. The PM's main
points were: that there had been substantial progress
in reducing tensions throughout the country with the
ceasefire holding for over a year; the LTTE's inability
to attend the Washington conference was due to U.S. law
and was not the fault of the GSL; and that there was no
intention to exclude the LTTE from future negotiations
concerning humanitarian and economic topics. The PM
wound up his letter by urging Balasingham to "review
your present stance" and return to the peace
negotiations as soon as possible.


5. (U) The second letter provided by the Norwegians to
the LTTE was from GSL Peace Secretariat chief Bernard
Goonetilleke and focused on the LTTE's pullout from an
important humanitarian committee last week. (Note:
Goonetilleke has been selected to be Sri Lanka's next
foreign secretary.) Goonetilleke's letter, the text of
which is contained in ref A, took a bit of a firmer tack
than the PM's in that it warned the group that further
postponement of peace negotiations could lead to a delay
in the disbursement of assistance-related funds.
Goonetilleke added that Subcommittee on Immediate
Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) -- the
joint committee the LTTE had recently pulled out of --
had actually done a lot of good work. The GSL urged the
LTTE to make use of the committee if the group truly
wanted to provide assistance to displaced persons, and
create better economic conditions in the north and east.


6. (SBU) UPCOMING VISITS: In other peace-related news,
the peace track heats up in the next week. The
Norwegian embassy has confirmed that Balasingham will
arrive in country on May 5 and immediately transit to
the Wanni. It is not clear how long Balasingham will
stay on this visit. In the meantime, Norwegian Deputy
Foreign Minister Helgesen and Japanese Special Envoy
Akashi are also due to arrive in Sri Lanka for visits
focused on the peace process next week.


7. (C) COMMENT: The fact that the April 30 meeting
took place is an indication that recent peace process
tensions may be receding a bit. In past weeks, the
Tigers had issued a number of hard-line messages while
refusing to meet and discuss what was on their minds.
In light of that, the fact that the group is back
meeting with the Norwegians is constructive, perhaps
heralding new thinking on the group's part re their
decisions to pull out of the peace talks and the June
donors conference in Tokyo. It is clear, however, that
getting the process back on track involves a delicate
tango, and, per the Tigers' mood, there could easily be
setbacks. END COMMENT.


7. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS