OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 093 (07/14/04)

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001172 SIPDIS SENSITIVE OFFICIAL INFORMAL FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT CE MV SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 093 (07/14/04) Sensitive But Unclassified - protect accordingly. Contents: Colombo Plan Double Cross (SBU) We have discovered that at the Colombo Plan Consultative Committee Meeting in Teheran in June, the CCM approved the amendment which we have been arguing about for so long! Of course the US was not represented at the meeting because it was in Iran. We are sending in a separate cable on this which you should see today. The big question, of course, is what we do about it. Our cable lays out several options. We feel it would be fruitless to try to re-open this. We could make a statement at the Plan Council meeting here in Colombo next week that we feel this was a blatant abuse of procedure and that since it was done without our participation or concurrence, it cannot be seen as setting a precedent. That would help to meet one of IO's concerns. Just wanted to forewarn you since this could get IO really steamed. I was pretty steamed myself and told the Plan SecGen yesterday. LUNSTEAD