HANSSEN-BAUER EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT CRITICISM OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002014 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV CE SUBJECT: HANSSEN-BAUER EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT CRITICISM OF NORWAY Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer met briefly with Co-Chair Ambassadors to compare notes before he begins a trip to Kilinochchi to meet with the LTTE on December 2. After two days of meetings with Government and civil society representatives in Colombo, he expressed concern about growing government-inspired criticism of Norway. He cited the following to support his concern: -- rumors from several sources that some in the Government believe that Hanssen-Bauer personally helped draft LTTE leader Prabhakaran's Heroes Day speech; -- an interview in the November 27 edition of the Government-controlled Daily News newspaper of Colonel Karuna, head of the faction that broke away from the LTTE and is widely believed to be in collusion with the Government, in which Karuna made several outrageous claims. First Karuna alleged that Erik Solheim gave Prabhakaran a television with a 6-foot screen, which Prabakharan used to watch movies, among them Day of the Jackal, which Karuna claims gave Prabhakaran the inspiration to assassinate former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The Daily News journalist then asked the leading question whether Norway had provided the LTTE other support. Karuna alleged that Solheim gave LTTE leader Balasingham 16 million Norwegian kroners after the signing of the 2002 cease fire agreement. The LTTE used that money to buy arms, according to Karuna. Karuna also alleged that the LTTE helped Solheim buy a house in Oslo and that Solheim repeatedly told Prabhakaran that Norway was "with the LTTE." Hanssen-Bauer said the Norwegian Embassy had dispatched a letter to the Daily News to categorically deny all these allegations. -- Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar added that the text of the Karuna interview actually appeared briefly on the public website of the Ministry of Defense, which Norway protested. The interview was subsequently removed. -- After the Norwegian Embassy's denial, the December 1 edition of the Daily News published yet another more detailed rebuttal by Karuna of the Norwegian denial. He claimed Solheim might not have disclosed his gift of the TV to Prabhakaran to the Norwegian Foreign Ministry because he gave the gift in Bangkok. To quote Karuna further: "When I was with our delegation in Bangkok, Tamilselvan Tharmalingham, alias KP, the key agent purchasing arms for the Tigers, to the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok and money was paid to him to purchase the TV on behalf of Erik Solheim." Karuna further alleges that $100,000 worth of radio equipment was brought in to Sri Lanka under diplomatic cover in December 2002 by then Norwegian Ambassador Westborg. Hanssen-Bauer vehemently denied these charges as well and posed the reasonable question why this government controlled paper would openly give Karuna the space to circulate such scurrilous allegations. -- Hanssen-Bauer also was disturbed that in contrast to all his previous visits to Colombo, the head of the GSL Peace Secretariat Kohona was not available to meet him, although SIPDIS several other Ministers did. However, when Hanssen-Bauer asked these other Ministers whether the Government had any message for him to convey to the LTTE on issues such as the opening of the A-9 road (for example),they all said no, speak to Kohona. 2,. (C) Ambassador regretted such underhanded tactics by the Government, but told Hanssen-Bauer that no one in the COLOMBO 00002014 002 OF 002 Government had ever criticized Norway's role to the U.S. during his tenure, perhaps because the United States availed itself of every private and public opportunity to express support for Norway's facilitation efforts. Other Co-Chair Ambassadors said they also had not heard any criticism from the GSL of Norway. ¶3. (C) Comment: it may be that this marks the ramping up of a previously more subtle effort to undercut Norway. We shall continue to use every opportunity to express support for the efforts both of Norway and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and recommend Washington do the same in its meetings with Sri Lankan officials. BLAKE