OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 044 (03/19/04)

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000486 SIPDIS SENSITIVE OFFICIAL INFORMAL FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A TAGS: AMGT CE MV SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 044 (03/19/04) Sensitive but unclassified - protect accordingly. CONTENTS: PRESIDENT ABOLISHES 13 NON-CABINET MINISTRIES TORKEL PATTERSON BCIS SEMINAR VISA RECIPROCITY PRESIDENT ABOLISHES NON-CABINET MINISTRIES -------------- ¶1. (SBU) FYI. On March 17, President Kumaratunga abolished 13 non-Cabinet ministries by gazette notification and amalgamated their functions into Cabinet-level ministries. Two other ministries were also merged with Cabinet-level ministries. The 13 ministries that were abolished -- (Irrigation, Land Registration and Tourism Development, to give a sampling) -- were set up by PM Wickremesinghe's UNP government. This move brings the total number of non- cabinet level ministries down to 14 (there are about 30 Cabinet-level ministries). In abolishing the ministries, a press release from the Presidential Secretariat stated that the reason was to reduce SIPDIS administrative and maintenance costs. In a political sense, the move is transparently part of President Kumaratunga's and her SLFP/JVP alliance's drive to make themselves the "Mr. Clean" of Sri Lankan politics and make the UNP seem corrupt. (POL) TORKEL PATTERSON -------------- ¶2. (SBU) We've got a good schedule for Torkel Patterson's Sunday-Monday visit, although several key interlocutors are, as we expected, unavailable due to campaign obligations. (DCM) BCIS SEMINAR -------------- ¶3. (U) FYI - the Ambassador spoke this morning at the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies (BCIS) seminar on "The Role of the United States in South Asia." Key speakers in the two-day seminar include Rick Inderfurth and Peter Burleigh. DCM and Teresa Manlowe will be "respondents" on two of the panels tomorrow. (DCM) VISA RECIPROCITY -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Our consul, Marc Williams, has been talking informally with MFA here about perhaps opening up a bit on visa reciprocity. MFA has asked us to come over for a meeting next Thursday. DCM and Marc will attend and apprise CA/VO afterwards about what might be feasible (Marc has been in regular touch with VO on the issue). (DCM) LUNSTEAD