OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 173 (01/02/04)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000003

SIPDIS

OFFICIAL INFORMAL

FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/04
TAGS: AMGT CE MV KWMM
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 173 (01/02/04)


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD FOR REASONS 1.5
b and d.

CONTENTS: RECENT THREADS RE PEACE PROCESS, COHABITATION
PM ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ISSUES, MEETING WITH
PRESIDENT

RECENT THREADS RE PEACE PROCESS, COHABITATION
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1. (C) FYI. We just wanted to highlight the following
recent threads of information regarding the peace
process/cohabitation situation that emerged over the New
Years' period:

-- Tiger chief negotiator Anton Balasingham, according
to a January 1 report on the pro-LTTE website
"TamilNet," stated: "It is impractical to hold peace
negotiations when one party talks to the Tigers while
another keeps the defense ministry in Sri Lanka."
Balasingham was also quoted as saying: "In the future
we will talk only with a Sri Lankan government that
would have full power and the mandate of the people."
The LTTE clearly is upping the pressure on the
cohabitation antagonists here in Colombo.

-- GSL minister G.L. Peiris, addressing his weekly press
briefing on January 1, said the government had begun
informal talks with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar
on how donors can implement their aid pledges made at
the June 2003 Tokyo donors conference despite the
ongoing cohabitation impasse. Peiris said "What we are
concerned about is that the economic benefits must flow
to the people in the entire country." Peiris also
rejected Kumaratunga's recent assertion that there was
no "crisis" in the country (see 03 Colombo 2191).
Turning to the question of when President Kumaratunga's
term expires (also see 03 Colombo 2191),Peiris said the
GSL's position was clear that the President's term of
office should end in December 2005. Addressing reports
that the President had been "secretly" quietly sworn in
a second time in 2000, perhaps in order to allow her
legal cover to extend her time in office until 2006, the
inimitable Peiris said: "Nowhere in the democratic
world have we heard of a head of state taking oaths in
secrecy...What are the reasons and motives behind such a
secret swearing-in ceremony? It is truly unique in the

SIPDIS
annals of the democratic world."

-- Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem,
in a press conference on January 1, said the SLMC would
be postponing delivery to the GSL of his group's
proposals on forming an interim administration in the
north/east in order to deliberate on the inclusion of a
reference to an "interim constitution." Addressing the
issue of a possible interim constitution, Hakeem said
"One way to achieve the objectives of the Oslo
Declaration would be to concentrate on an interim
constitution for the country." Hakeem also stressed
that any interim administration structure should
function for a limited period.

PM ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ISSUES
--------------


2. (C) Please also pass to DRL/IRF: During their
December 31 meeting (see 03 Colombo 2200 for report on
discussion re cohabitation, etc.),Ambassador Lunstead
asked Prime Minister Wickremesinghe about the recent
spate of church attacks and the proposed anti-conversion
legislation (see 03 Colombo 2191). The PM said he was
aware of the tense situation. He said the GSL was
planning to work with religious leaders to address their
concerns, and would, in that effort, focus on ways that
religious groups could comport themselves in positive
ways (as opposed to focusing exclusively on negative
issues such as so-called "unethical conversions"). In
other religious news, a fast undertaken by some Buddhist
monks on December 29 has ended, after Buddhist Affairs
Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara agreed to revise a
commission in his ministry so that it gives the Buddhist
clergy more influence over the ministry's projects.
From what Mission can make of all of this, it seems that
the GSL is trying to placate Buddhists by giving them
more influence in Lokubandara's ministry and possibly
more funding. FYI: Ambassador Lunstead has separate
meetings with Minister Lokubandara and Hindu Religious
Affairs Minister T. Maheswaran on January 5 that will
deal largely with religious freedom issues. (POL)

AMBASSADOR TO MEET WITH PRESIDENT
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3. (C) The Ambassador will meet with President
Kumaratunga at 5:00 this evening (Friday, Jan 2) to
deliver the letter from Secretary Powell. At least the
meeting is scheduled for 5:00 - President's office has
advised the Ambassador to wait by his cell phone and
they will tell him when to really come over. Ambassador
this morning had a brief conversation with Indian High
Commissioner Sen, who has also been talking to both the
President and the PM. Completely unprompted, Sen offered
his opinion that the sticking point now in resolving the
political crisis is the PM. "There are technical means
of squaring the circle," Sen said. "But Ranil does not
want just that much, he wants everything back. The
problem now is his objection to accepting any piecemeal
solution." Ambassador will meet Sen early next week for
further discussion.

LUNSTEAD