KUMARATUNGA GIVES STRONG INDICATION SHE WILL GO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000890

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2015
TAGS: PGOV EAID PTER KIRF CE LTTE
SUBJECT: KUMARATUNGA GIVES STRONG INDICATION SHE WILL GO
FORWARD WITH JOINT MECHANISM ON TSUNAMI RELIEF

REF: COLOMBO 888

Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead for reason 1.4 (d).


1. (C) Summary. President Kumaratunga told the
Ambassador May 13 that she is determined to go ahead with
the joint mechanism despite opposition from coalition
partner JVP although the process will take a few more
weeks. The Ambassador stated that the U.S. supported her
efforts and that a signed mechanism would indicate to
Washington and other interested capitals that there was
still a viable peace process in Sri Lanka worth
supporting. The President reiterated her strong
opposition to anti-conversion legislation and
seemed to convey a more flexible position on the
coastal exclusion zone in tsunami-affected areas.
She will visit Atlanta in early June. There is
understandable concern in many quarters about the
President's sincerity on the joint mechanism but her
statement of intention to the Ambassador was quite clear.
End Summary


2. (C) After several false starts during the week, the
Ambassador and DCM (notetaker) called on Sri Lankan
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) the
evening of May 13. CBK was accompanied by Peace
Secretariat chief Jayantha Dhanapala, Foreign Secretary

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Palihakarra and Presidential advisor Ram Manikalingam.

Joint Mechanism at "Good Point;" GSL Determined to "Go
Ahead"
-------------- --------------


3. (C) CBK started by telling the Ambassador that she had
been looking forward to briefing the U.S. on the progress
of the joint mechanism for tsunami relief in the North and
the East. She characterized the situation as being at a
"good point," with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) having agreed to the mechanism and eight of her nine
coalition partners also on board with it. She described
the mechanism to the Ambassador as a "simple administrative
arrangement" in which three tiers of bodies would identify
and recommend projects in the tsunami-affected areas of the
North and East. The projects then would be implemented
through the "usual government structure" although the
bodies created under the mechanism would also "monitor"
implementation. The mechanism would cover a two kilometer
deep strip of coastline in six districts.


4. (C) CBK said the advantages of going forward with the
mechanism were especially important regarding the LTTE.
For the first time, the LTTE would agree to work "within
the sovereignty of a unified Sri Lanka" although the word
"sovereignty" would not appear in the text. Moreover, by
signing, the LTTE would "come into a process with the
government" which could set a useful precedent for the
larger peace process. (CBK clarified that although the
joint mechanism technically was not part of the peace
process, its signing would obviously have tremendous
implications for the peace process.) Finally, CBK noted,
by signing the joint mechanism, the LTTE would commit
itself "for the first time" to working "on par" with Muslim
communities in the North and East. For all of these
reasons, CBK stated, the government is "determined to go
ahead."


5. (C) Turning to the one coalition partner opposing the
joint mechanism, CBK said the JVP's behavior was to be
expected. (She noted that the LTTE had delayed agreement
on the mechanism for eight and a half weeks while they
traveled abroad and that she had only begun to build
support for it within her government coalition after
Norwegian FM Peterson had told her on April 29 that the
LTTE was on board. "I couldn't discuss the specifics with
my partners until I knew exactly what the LTTE had agreed
to." CBK claimed she had cleared her schedule after the
May Day holiday so that she could devote her energies to
the joint mechanism.) She said she is still talking to the
JVP. Asked by the Ambassador if the JVP might come around,
CBK said there was "some chance" but that there was "not
too much hope." CBK said that if the JVP continues to be
an obstacle, the government has (unspecified) "options."

6. (C) Asked about Muslim reaction to the mechanism, CBK
said they were "hung up on equal representation" at all
levels but she had pointed out to them that Muslims would
have a significant proportion of the seats at the district
level. She accused the opposition UNP of duplicity
regarding the joint mechanism, claiming that opposition
leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had supported the concept early
on but that his "badly divided" party was now backing away
and had refused to even come in for a briefing. (CBK said
she had just received a letter from Ranil which she planned
to read over the weekend.) CBK concluded her comments on
the joint mechanism by declaring, "it will take a few weeks
but I am determined to do it."

U.S. View
--------------


7. (C) The Ambassador told CBK that the U.S. was impressed
with her efforts on the joint mechanism and hoped she
succeeded. The U.S. had not made its support public for
fear of encouraging the JVP public line that the joint
mechanism is being foisted on Sri Lanka by foreigners (CBK
nodded: "You were right in that.") The Ambassador said the
U.S. saw the joint mechanism as a tremendously significant
confidence building measure with positive implications for
the larger peace process. He noted that he had been asked
repeatedly about the joint mechanism during his recent trip
to Washington, an indication of the tremendous interest
there in concrete progress on the peace front. The
Ambassador told CBK it was necessary to maintain movement
on the peace process, "to keep something happening to lead
to progress." Otherwise, the U.S. and other countries
committed to a lasting peace in Sri Lanka could conclude
that no progress was possible under the current political
constellation. Signing the joint mechanism would be a good
indicator that all sides in Sri Lanka were willing to take
"positive steps." CBK said she was "fully aware" of this
and agreed that the joint mechanism had tremendous
implications for the peace process.


8. (C) The Ambassador told CBK that earlier in the day,
during his press conference to announce the signing of the
tsunami supplemental, he had been asked if the signing of

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the joint mechanism was a "pre-condition" for the "release"
of U.S. funds for tsunami reconstruction, a claim that had
been bandied about in the press recently. He had clarified
that this was not the case, but that he had also stated
clearly that the U.S. hoped the mechanism would go
forward. The Ambassador said he would also make
that clear at the upcoming Development Forum in Kandy.

CBK and CNN
--------------


9. (C) Turning to other issues, CBK said she had just
decided to accept an invitation to give a keynote address
at the 25 year anniversary of CNN in Atlanta on June 1.
The Ambassador commented that it would be a particularly
valuable trip and a much more interesting speech if she had
signed the joint mechanism before she went (CBK smiled).
CBK said she planned to arrive in Atlanta on May 31, would
stay 2-3 days and did not plan to go elsewhere in the U.S.
CBK continued, however, that she would be pleased to stop
in Washington to see President Bush but she assumed the
timing was too short to get on his calendar. The
Ambassador said that was probably the case but he would
relay her interest to Washington.

Coastal Zones
--------------


10. (C) The Ambassador told CBK that during A/S Rocca's
recent visit, she had visited tsunami-ravaged Kalmunai in
the East. CBK interjected that she (CBK) had not realized
the severity of the land shortage in Kalmunai ("a thin
strip of land between the sea and the marshes") and said
the GSL had come up with a plan to protect the shore there
by "putting sand dunes in the sea" and then allowing
construction of shelter between 100 and 200 meters inland,
rather than insisting on the original 200 meter exclusion
zone. The Ambassador noted that Kalmunai was not the only
tsunami area where greater flexibility on land usage was

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needed. He briefed CBK on the upcoming Embassy-arranged
DVC between U.S. and Sri Lankan coastal management
experts. CBK was enthusiastic and suggested some
names for participation.

Anti-Conversion Legislation: "Not During My Tenure"
-------------- --------------


11. (C) The Ambassador advised CBK that during his trip to
Washington the issue of pending anti-conversion legislation
in Sri Lanka had come up repeatedly, an indication of how
seriously the issue is viewed in the United States. CBK
described the JHU bill as "absolutely stupid" and said that
her own government's bill had been passed by Cabinet while
she was away. She then stated: "It will not happen
during my tenure as President." Palihakarra and
Dhanapala commented that the recently-concluded visit
of UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jahangir had been extremely
timely and her public criticism of anti-conversion
legislation very helpful. CBK concluded that even
if anti-conversion legislation passed Parliament,
she would use the "powers of the President" to
prevent it from becoming law.

Comment
--------------


12. (C) Obviously fatigued, CBK clearly has been putting
significant effort into building support for the joint
mechanism. As noted in reftel, there is understandable
pessimism in many circles that she will either abandon the
effort after the Kandy development forum or sign it for the
political boost but then let implementation lag. Until
proven wrong, however, we need to take her at her word,
clearly stated to the Ambassador, that she is planning to
go forward on the joint mechanism. The next few weeks
clearly will be fascinating for all "Chandrika watchers."
On other issues, it was very interesting that she beat us
to the punch on the shortage of available land for tsunami
resettlement in Kalmunai (she gave the impression that she
had never been there until after the tsunami) and did not
disagree with our broader point on the need for greater
flexibility on the coastal exclusion zone in all tsunami-
affected areas. Finally, her personal opposition and
commitment to stopping anti-conversion legislation could
not have been more clearly stated. End Comment.
LUNSTEAD