PEACE PROCESS TIDBITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001219

SIPDIS

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

PLEASE PASS TOPEC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07-22-14
TAGS: PREL CE NO LTTE
SUBJECT: PEACE PROCESS TIDBITS

Refs: (A) Colombo 1216 and previous

(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead.
Reasons 1.5 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: An LTTE official requested and
received a meeting with the GSL on July 20. Meanwhile,
when Parliament reconvened, TNA MPs broached the ISGA as
a basis for talks. The discussion was postponed.
Violent episodes between LTTE cadre loyal to the Wanni
and those loyal to breakaway eastern leader Karuna
continue to plague the east. In Trincomalee, Muslims
staged a hartal (strike) to protest LTTE abuses of the
Muslim community. In ongoing "shuttle diplomacy," the
Norwegians continue to pressure the Tigers and the GSL
to return to peace talks END SUMMARY.

Tigers Warming Up to GSL?
--------------


2. (C) A Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
official requested and received a meeting with the GSL
on July 20. Secretary General of GSL Peace Secretariat
Jayantha Dhanapala met with Secretary General of LTTE
Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan in Colombo. Media
reports described the meeting as a "courtesy call," and
noted that it was the highest-level meeting between the
GSL and the LTTE since the parliamentary election in
April. Dhanapala told Ambassador that Puleedevan (who
travels frequently to Colombo) called him up out of the
blue and suggested the meeting. Dhanapala saw no reason
not to oblige. Puleedevan, however, is not a decision-
maker within the LTTE.

TNA MPs broach ISGA in Parliament
--------------


3. (C) Meanwhile, the Parliament convened for the fifth
time on July 20. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs
wanted the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) as a
basis for peace talks to be the first item debated, but
the topic was postponed until August. On July 21,
Kajendran, (a new TNA MP from Jaffna, and rumored to be
Prabhakaran's future son-in-law) accused the GSL of not
taking an interest in the peace process and said that an
outbreak of war was possible. Should that happen, he
continued, the 60,000 Sri Lanka Army personnel in the
North and East could end up going to Colombo in body
bags. After a UPFA MP moved toward him (and was
restrained by other MPS,) Kajendran clarified that he
really meant that there should not be an occasion for
war to break out. A Jathika Hela Urumaya MP asked that
Kajendran's remarks be stricken from the record, which
was done.

Violence in the East Continues
--------------


4. (U) Violent episodes between LTTE cadre loyal to the
Wanni and those loyal to breakaway eastern leader Karuna
continue to plague the east, especially near Batticaloa.
In a Batticlaoa prison, an LTTE cadre killed two pro-
Karuna cadres and injured a third on July 15. One of
the victims, known as Maran, was the LTTE military
leader in Ampara prior to the LTTE split in March.
After the split, he briefly acted as Karuna's spokesman.
Karuna had proposed Maran as the Secretary of his new
party, the Democratic Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.


5. (C) The LTTE is also targeting other groups in the
east. On July 21, a cadre from the anti-LTTE Eelam
People's Democratic Party (EPDP)was killed near
Akaraipattu, south of Batticaloa. The EPDP cadre was a
Pradeshiya Sabha (town council) leader. His
predecessor, also an EPDP cadre, was also killed by the
LTTE.


6. (C) Near Trincomalee, Muslims in Kinniya held a
hartal (general strike) on July 20 to protest LTTE
kidnappings of Muslims near the Maniraskulum camp.
Thirteen Muslims who had been gathering firewood and
rubble for livelihood purposes were held by the LTTE and
forced to gather rocks for the Tigers, who are rumored
to be building in the area. Typically, Muslims "caught"
working in this way are fined, but not held. In this
case, ten of the Muslims were released, except three who
were held for several more days. One of the three was
badly beaten and required hospitalization.

Norwegians Keep Up the Pressure for Peace Talks
-------------- --


7. (U) The Norwegians continue to pressure the Tigers
and the GSL to return to peace talks via ongoing
"shuttle diplomacy." One July 22, Sri Lanka Monitoring
Mission Leader General Trond Furuhovde met with LTTE
leadership in Kilinochchi to discuss safeguarding the
Cease-Fire Agreement(CFA) and recent CFA violations.
Media reports indicate his meeting was in preparation
for Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgessen's
July 25 visit to Sri Lanka.


LUNSTEAD