Staffdel Gilley/McCormick visit: Interlocutors

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000116

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, H; NSC FOR E. MILLARD

PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01-22-14
TAGS: PGOV OTRA PINS PHUM EAID CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Staffdel Gilley/McCormick visit: Interlocutors
note concerns about cohabitation situation, aid delivery

Refs: Colombo 109, and previous

(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: A bipartisan delegation of
professional staff members from the House International
Relations Committee visited Sri Lanka, January 15-18.
In addition to a full plate of meetings in Colombo, a
highlight of the visit was a day trip to war-torn Jaffna
District in the north. Interlocutors in both Colombo
and Jaffna underscored deep concerns about Sri Lanka's
ongoing cohabitation impasse and its impact on the peace
process. Jaffna contacts also expressed concerns about
what they characterized as slow delivery of humanitarian
assistance to the north. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) A bipartisan delegation of professional staff
members from the House International Relations Committee
(HIRC) visited Sri Lanka, January 15-18. The delegation
comprised:

-- Kristen Gilley, Senior Professional Staff Member.
-- James McCormick, South Asia Subcommittee staff
director.
-- Renee Austell, Professional Staff Member and Counsel.
-- Hans Hogrefe, Member of the Professional Staff.
-- David Killion, Member of the Professional Staff.

================
Colombo Meetings
================


3. (C) The delegation participated in a series of
meetings in Colombo, January 15-16. In the delegation's
Colombo meetings, interlocutors underscored deep
concerns about Sri Lanka's ongoing cohabitation impasse
and its impact on the peace process. Highlights of the
delegation's meetings in Colombo included those with
Minister G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the Prime Minister
Bradman Weerakoon, and Opposition People's Alliance (PA)
Spokesman Sarath Amunugama. Key snippets from these
three discussions follow:

-- G.L. Peiris, Minister of Constitutional Affairs and
Enterprise Development and chief GSL spokesman, told the
delegation that President Kumaratunga's November 4
takeover of three key ministries (Defense, Interior,
Mass Communications) had caused a serious cohabitation
rift and had had a "grave negative effect on the peace
process." Peiris questioned the constitutionality of
the President's actions, and noted that in the GSL's
view her actions had been "irresponsible and unlawful."
Continuing his aggressive tack toward Kumaratunga, he
charged that she "had done nothing for (Sri Lanka's)
security needs" since she took over the Defense
Ministry. He dismissed her actions as a "clear power
grab."

-- Bradman Weerakoon, Secretary to the PM, briefed the
Staffdel on a wide range of issues. He acknowledged the
seriousness of the cohabitation impasse, indicating that
he hoped the two sides could overcome their infighting
so that they could refocus on the country's pressing
concerns. Regarding the peace process, he remarked that
informal discussions with the Tamil Tigers were ongoing
in the absence of face-to-face negotiations (which have
been on hold since April 2003). He said it was crucial
that the major political parties in the south work
together, as, in his opinion, a constitutional amendment
would be needed to implement any negotiated settlement
reached with the Tigers. This amendment would require
two-thirds support in Parliament, which was only
attainable if the major parties cooperated with each
other. While he did not have a strong opinion regarding
the recent alliance reached by the President's Sri Lanka
Freedom Party (SLFP) and the radical Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna (JVP),he did not think that general elections
would take place in the near-term, as some feared. When
asked about the recent string of church attacks in Sri
Lanka, Weerakoon said it was "a new phenomenon," which
the government was very concerned about. On a related
front, Weerakoon said he did not think that proposed
"anti-conversion" legislation would ultimately be passed
by Parliament.

-- Sarath Amunugama, senior PA MP, indicated that he did
not foresee any near-term resolution to the cohabitation
impasse. He dismissed the idea that the President would
respond to the PM's calls for her to take control of the
peace process and ceasefire agreement with the Tigers in
light of her takeover of the Defense Ministry. He
characterized the SLFP/JVP alliance as an electoral
pact, uniting the two parties against the ruling United
National Party. Despite the JVP's traditional
opposition to devolution of power as a proposed means of
resolving Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, he insisted that
the SLFP would remain open to the concept of devolution.
In negotiating with the Tigers, he felt that a
bipartisan approach must be taken by the south,
regardless of which party was in power.

===============
Visit to Jaffna
===============


4. (C) A highlight of the delegation's visit was a day
trip to the northern city of Jaffna on January 17.
Poloff and Pol FSN accompanied the delegation on the
trip. In contrast to a December visit by Mission and
SA/INS personnel (see Reftels),there were far fewer
soldiers patrolling the streets, which bustled with
activity. The visit kicked off with a briefing by the
military commander of Jaffna, Major General Susil
Chandrapala. General Chandrapala, who has just assumed
his post, outlined the GSL's security concerns in the
Jaffna Peninsula. He asserted that the military's "high
security zones" served a strategic purpose in protecting
GSL operations in Jaffna, as well as providing security
to Tamil civilians living in the area. Chandrapala
underlined the need for additional financial assistance
for the resettlement of internally displaced persons
(IDPs),as the Jaffna peninsula had the highest number
of IDPs in Sri Lanka.


5. (C) Other contacts in Jaffna also asserted that the
delivery of aid to the north was very slow. For
example, Additional Government Agent (AGA) for Jaffna M.
Paul claimed that GSL money for resettlement assistance
fell far short of the needs of IDPs. Jaffna University
professor N. Sitralapam charged that the government had
done "virtually nothing for rehabilitation" in the
north. Also of deep concern to interlocutors was the
cohabitation dispute between the President and Prime
Minister, which was characterized by M. Paul as "petty,
minor differences between two leaders dragging down the
peace process."


6. (SBU) During the Jaffna visit, the delegation also
visited a demining site, where USG-trained and equipped
humanitarian deminers from the Sri Lanka Army
demonstrated mine clearance techniques in an area slated
for eventual resettlement by IDPs. In addition, the
team visited a USAID-funded center that provides
prostheses and wheelchairs to disabled persons in the
Jaffna District. (Jaffna has a high instance of injury
due to landmines and unexploded ordnance.)


7. (U) The Staffdel did not have an opportunity to
clear this message before it left Sri Lanka.


8. (U) Minimize considered.
LUNSTEAD