SRI LANKA: EXAGGERATED PRESS REPORTS OF LTTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001726

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2014
TAGS: PTER PGOV CE LTTE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: EXAGGERATED PRESS REPORTS OF LTTE
BREAKTHROUGH ON TALKS

REF: A. COLOMBO 1705

B. COLOMBO 1563

Classified By: AMB. JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD. REASON: 1.4 (B,D).


1. (SBU) Summary: Weekend press reports in both the
government-owned and independent media trumpeting a
breakthrough in stalled negotiations between the Government
of Sri Lanka (GSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) appear to have been overblown. According to sources
in both the Peace Secretariat and the pro-LTTE Tamil National
Alliance, the LTTE has not wavered from its long-held
position that its proposal for an interim administration must
form the basis of resumed negotiations. The hyperbolic
reports may be due in part to wishful thinking that the tough
new line that the Tigers are apparently hearing during their
ongoing meetings in Europe (Ref A) may convince them to adopt
a more accommodating stance on negotiations. End summary.


2. (U) Over the past two days independent and state-owned
media in English, Sinhala and Tamil have been reporting that
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have adopted a
newly flexible position on resuming negotiations with the
Government of Sri Lanka (GSL). Claiming that the LTTE is now
willing to discuss GSL counterproposals to the Tigers' own
proposal for an interim administration, many reports
predicted an imminent return to negotiations. "Deadlock
broken: LTTE ready for talks with Government," crowed the
independent Daily Mirror on October 16. "Permanent peace on
the horizon," proclaimed the state-owned Daily News October

18. Similar stories appeared in the Sinhala and Tamil
vernacular press, with the notable exception of the pro-LTTE
Sudar Oli. (Note: On October 18 the BBC Sinhala service
reported that LTTE political wing leader Tamilselvan,
currently leading a Tiger delegation to several European
capitals, had refuted the Sri Lankan press reports to the BBC
Sinhala language program the previous day. End note.)


3. (C) According to sources in both the Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) and the Peace Secretariat, however, the
media's optimism is misplaced. Ambassador Jayantha
Dhanapala, Director General of the Peace Secretariat, told
the Ambassador on October 18 that he is unsure what prompted
"the sunshine stories" over the weekend. Noting that the
LTTE has always understood that the GSL would present
counterproposals to the Tigers' controversial Interim
Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal, he described press
coverage of the LTTE position as "nothing new." It is
difficult to assess the purported statement by Tiger
spokesman "Daya Master" to AP indicating a new Tiger
position, Dhanapala said, since it is never clear who in the
Tiger hierarchy, short of supremo Prabhakaran himself, speaks
with authority. That said, Dhanapala expressed hope that the
tough line the Tiger delegation is reportedly hearing during
its European trip (Ref A) will help moderate its
uncompromising stance on restarting talks.


4. (C) Dhanapala could not identify any recent event that
might have prompted the rosy news coverage. Even the October
16 release of two Sinhalese home guards, abducted by the LTTE
in August in Trincomalee (Ref B),was no reason for optimism,
Dhanapala indicated, since the GSL had to release ten LTTE
prisoners to secure their release. While stressing that he
did not believe, as a matter of principle, in exchanging
detained terrorists for hostages, the situation in
Trincomalee--which was volatile to begin with--had grown so
tense and politically charged because of the abductions as to
be untenable, he commented.


5. (C) TNA MP G.G. Ponnambalam also discounted press
reports of an LTTE change of heart. As of October 16, when
Ponnambalam claims to have spoken to the delegation in
Europe, he detected no evidence of a changed position.
Echoing Dhanapala's comments, Ponnambalam noted that the LTTE
had never refused to consider GSL counterproposals, as long
as those counterproposals do not form the basis for
negotiations. He described the TNA's unprecedented meeting
on October 11 with the Malwatte Mahanayake, the Buddhist
religious leader, as "very positive and encouraging." (Note:
Sinhalese nationalist groups protested outside the monk's
residence while the meeting took place. End note.)
According to Ponnambalam, the Buddhist cleric had told the
TNA delegation that despite his personal disagreement with
the ISGA, he realized that the Tiger proposal "must be
negotiated"--a significant departure from the public stand
adopted by other leading members of the Buddhist clergy.


6. (C) Comment: Like the press reports of one week earlier
claiming that another rift in the Tiger leadership had
occurred, these latest reports of an imminent LTTE change of
heart are too good to be true. That said, the Tigers' less
than cordial reception in stops along their European tour may
be forcing them to rethink their rigid stance on resuming
negotiations. Well-timed statements by "Daya Master" and
others in the Tigers' second-tier leadership may be intended
to make the Tigers sound more reasonable and seem more
internationally presentable while they are pitching their
case in Europe. The real test, as always, is how the Tigers
behave on the ground. For now, unfortunately, we see little
evidence of change.

LUNSTEAD