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