NORWEGIAN FM PRESSES TIGERS, BUT NO SIGN OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000819

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT

NSC FOR E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05-16-13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINS CE NO JA LTTE
SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN FM PRESSES TIGERS, BUT NO SIGN OF
GIVE YET; LATEST RE COHABITATION STRESSES

REFS: COLOMBO 805, AND PREVIOUS

(U) CLASSIFIED BY LEWIS AMSELEM, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION.
REASONS: 1.5 (B, D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: NORWEGIAN FM PETERSEN MET WITH THE
TIGERS ON MAY 15. DESPITE HIS BEST EFFORTS, THE TIGERS
DID NOT SAY THEY WILL RETURN TO THE TALKS, NOR DID THEY
COMMIT TO ATTEND THE TOKYO DONORS CONFERENCE. THE
JAPANESE EMBASSY HAS CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED NO
FURTHER WORD FROM THE TIGERS RE TOKYO. IN OTHER NEWS,
THE COHABITATION SITUATION REMAINS TENSE AS THE PRESIDENT
AND THE PM CONTINUE TO BICKER. UNTIL THESE SNARLS ARE
CLEARED UP, THE GSL WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN A BIND. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) NORWEGIAN FM PRESSES TIGERS: NORWEGIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER JAN PETERSEN MET WITH LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL
EELAM (LTTE) LEADER V. PRABHAKARAN AND OTHER KEY LTTE
OFFICIALS ON MAY 15. GON DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VIDAR
HELGESEN AND AMBASSADOR HANS BRATTSKAR ALSO PARTICIPATED
IN THE MEETING, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE TOWN OF
KILINOCHCHI IN THE TIGER-CONTROLLED WANNI AREA OF NORTH-
CENTRAL SRI LANKA. PETERSEN REPORTEDLY USED THE MEETING
TO PRESS THE LTTE TO RETURN TO THE PEACE TALKS WITH THE
SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT AND TO COMMIT TO ATTEND THE JUNE
DONORS CONFERENCE IN TOKYO. IN RESPONSE, THE TIGERS
REITERATED THEIR POSITION THAT UNLESS IMMEDIATE ACTION
WAS TAKEN TO ADDRESS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN THE
NORTH, THEY WOULD NOT GO TO TOKYO OR RESUME PARTICIPATION
IN THE PEACE TALKS. VOICING ANOTHER OF THEIR LONG-
STANDING DEMANDS, THE TIGERS ALSO SAID THAT THE GSL MUST
TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF ITS SECURITY
ZONES IN JAFFNA.


3. (C) JAPANESE MULL OVER TOKYO: IN ADDITIONAL NEWS RE
THE PEACE PROCESS, KOJI YAGI, JAPANESE EMBASSY POLOFF,
TOLD US MAY 16 THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY
WORD FROM THE TIGERS RE THEIR ATTENDANCE AT THE TOKYO
CONFERENCE. (NOTE: PER REFTELS, JAPANESE SPECIAL ENVOY
AKASHI HAD SET MAY 14 AS THE DEADLINE FOR THE TIGERS TO
RECONSIDER THEIR PREVIOUS STATEMENTS THAT THEY WOULD NOT
ATTEND THE TOKYO MEETING.) YAGI SAID HIS EMBASSY HAD
HEARD THAT THE LTTE MIGHT BE PLANNING TO SEND JAPAN A
LETTER REQUESTING A POSTPONEMENT IN THE TOKYO CONFERENCE
SO THE GSL HAD "TIME" TO MEET TIGER DEMANDS. QUERIED AS
TO WHAT THE GOJ'S PLANS WERE RE THE CONFERENCE AT THIS
POINT, YAGI ALLOWED THAT THE ISSUE WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC
FOR HIS GOVERNMENT. HE SAID THE GOJ CONTINUED TO REVIEW
WHAT TO DO NEXT.


4. (SBU) TAMIL POLITICIANS MEET THE LTTE: IN OTHER NEWS
RE THE PEACE TRACK, A GROUP OF TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE
(TNA) POLITICIANS MET WITH THE LTTE LEADERSHIP IN THE
WANNI ON MAY 13. AFTER THE MEETING, A JOINT LTTE-TNA
STATEMENT WAS ISSUED THAT STRESSED THE LTTE'S CONTINUED
SUPPORT OF A NEGOTIATED POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE
DISPUTE. RE THE PEACE TALKS AND THE TOKYO CONFERENCE,
MISSION HAS HEARD THAT THE TIGERS USED THE MEETING WITH
THE TNA TO REITERATE THEIR WELL-KNOWN STANCE THAT THE GSL
HAD TO MEET THEIR DEMANDS BEFORE THEY AGREED TO
COOPERATE.


5. (C) COHABITATION BICKERING CONTINUES: THE LATEST
NEWS RE SRI LANKA'S TENSE COHABITATION SITUATION IS THAT
PRESIDENT KUMARATUNGA HAS SENT A LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER
RANIL WICKREMESINGHE ON MAY 14 STATING THAT SHE WOULD NOT
CHANGE HER DECISION RE THE TAKEOVER OF THE DEVELOPMENT
LOTTERIES BOARD. (NOTE: LATE LAST WEEK, PER REFTELS,
THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WAS TAKING OVER THE
LOTTERIES BOARD. THE GSL HAS REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT HER
DECISION.) FURTHER, SHE REJECTED THE PM'S ALLEGATION
THAT THE TAKEOVER VIOLATED THE SRI LANKAN CONSTITUTION,
ASSERTING THAT SHE HAD ACTED IN FULL CONFORMITY WITH THE
LAW. IN TERMS OF NEXT MOVES IN THE TENSE SITUATION, THE
PM IS REPORTEDLY DRAFTING A RESPONSE TO KUMARATUNGA'S
LATEST MISSIVE. THERE ARE ALSO REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT
KUMARATUNGA, IN A BID TO SHOW SHE HAS CONTROL OF THE
AGENCY, IS PLANNING TO CALL FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING OF
THE DIRECTORS OF THE LOTTERIES BOARD SOON.


6. (C) COMMENT: UNTIL THE SNARLS OVER THE PEACE PROCESS
AND COHABITATION ARE CLEARED UP, THE GSL WILL CONTINUE TO
BE IN A SERIOUS BIND. THE LTTE IS CLEARLY NOT IN THE
MOOD TO MAKE THINGS EASY FOR IT IN TERMS OF THE PEACE
TRACK. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PRESIDENT IS CAUSING THE GSL
SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH RESPECT TO POLITICS IN THE SOUTH.
EVEN WHEN THINGS WERE GOING MORE SMOOTHLY, THE GSL WAS
OVERLOADED ENOUGH. THE WEIGHT OF THESE ADDED PROBLEMS
MAKES THE OVERALL CHALLENGE FOR THE GSL THAT MUCH LARGER.
END COMMENT.


7. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.

WILLS