Sri Lanka to support Libya and the technical

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001085

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS
THE HAGUE PLEASE PASS TO CWC DEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL CE CWC
SUBJECT: Sri Lanka to support Libya and the technical
change to Chemical Weapons Convention

Ref: (A) State 136811
- (B) Colombo 977
- (C) State 127948


1. Poloff met on June 28 with Sumedha Ekanayake, MFA
Assistant Director for UN and Multilateral Affairs, to
raise the points in Ref A. Massimo Darchini, Italian
Charge' d'Affaires was also present. In responding to
the joint U.S.-Italy-UK request for support, Ekanayake
said that Sri Lanka should not have any problems in
supporting the technical change to the Chemical Weapons
Convention's verification annex. He added that it was
important for the international community to show
support for Libya in its recent efforts to become more
open. He said he would immediately fax the text of the
technical change to the Sri Lankan delegation in The
Hague.


2. Separately, Ekanayake also brought up the issue that
Sri Lanka has yet to enact implementing legislation for
the the CWC (Ref B and C). He said that Sri Lanka was
in the process of drafting such legislation, but needed
technical assistance from the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Sri Lankan
official drafting the bill had gone to The Hague for
training and consultations. Ekanayake stated that the
GSL hoped to have the legislation completed by September
2004, but was confident that it would be enacted before
the November 2005 deadline.

LUNSTEAD