Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06COLOMBO2067
2006-12-14 09:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA TO PROCEED WITH GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHLM #2067 3480954 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 140954Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4920 INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0085 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 9691 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 6627 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 4687 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3395 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0352 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 3482 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0494 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2572 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1585 RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS COLOMBO 002067
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, SCA/RA (MILLER),PM/PPA (FEATHERSTONE),
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO MARR PREL MASS KSEP CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA TO PROCEED WITH GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS
INITIATIVE
REF: A) STATE 169188 B) COLOMBO 1762
UNCLAS COLOMBO 002067
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, SCA/RA (MILLER),PM/PPA (FEATHERSTONE),
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO MARR PREL MASS KSEP CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA TO PROCEED WITH GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS
INITIATIVE
REF: A) STATE 169188 B) COLOMBO 1762
1. (SBU) Following up on ref B, Defense Attache passed
information to Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa during a
previously scheduled meeting on November 3. DATT later
received a call back from Defense Ministry expressing
interest and asking for more information. Pol Chief received
a request for more details and called at Foreign Affairs
Ministry on December 12, after receipt of additional briefing
materials from PM and PACOM. Pol Chief discussed the of the
program with Director General C.A.H.M. Wijeratne (Bilateral
Affairs - West) and Deputy Director Yasoda Gunasekera
(UN/Multilateral Affairs) and gave them copies of draft
Letter of Request (LOR) and PM PowerPoint presentation.
2. (SBU) MFA interlocutors thanked us for the information.
Wijeratne asked us to confirm that joining the initiative did
not entail a commitment to deploy to any specific PKO. He
also pointed out that some Sri Lankan Army (SLA) specialized
forces (communications, engineering, logistics and medical)
were presently fully engaged in fighting Sri Lanka's
two-decade-old ethnic conflict with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers).
We indicated understanding for the current situation in the
country.
3. (SBU) Our Sri Lankan counterparts told us that their
government was highly interested in joining GPOI, and that
the initiative had the support of both MFA and MoD.
Wijeratne said the Government of Sri Lanka was not sure how
to respond formally, since they had until now only received
informal briefing materials. We proposed an exchange of
letters between Ambassador and Foreign Minister as an
expeditious way to take note of a mutual desire to proceed
with the partnership. Our MFA interlocutors agreed this
would be appropriate.
4. (SBU) Ambassador Blake sent a letter to Foreign Minister
Samaraweera on December 13 based on ref a and the GPOI fact
sheet provided by PM (copy e-mailed to SCA/INS). Post
anticipates receiving a reply from the Foreign Minister
within a few days. Pol section and Office of Defense
Cooperation (ODC) stand ready to facilitate visits by an
assessment team and to help implement activities under GPOI
within Sri Lanka, or elsewhere.
BLAKE
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, SCA/RA (MILLER),PM/PPA (FEATHERSTONE),
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO MARR PREL MASS KSEP CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA TO PROCEED WITH GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS
INITIATIVE
REF: A) STATE 169188 B) COLOMBO 1762
1. (SBU) Following up on ref B, Defense Attache passed
information to Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa during a
previously scheduled meeting on November 3. DATT later
received a call back from Defense Ministry expressing
interest and asking for more information. Pol Chief received
a request for more details and called at Foreign Affairs
Ministry on December 12, after receipt of additional briefing
materials from PM and PACOM. Pol Chief discussed the of the
program with Director General C.A.H.M. Wijeratne (Bilateral
Affairs - West) and Deputy Director Yasoda Gunasekera
(UN/Multilateral Affairs) and gave them copies of draft
Letter of Request (LOR) and PM PowerPoint presentation.
2. (SBU) MFA interlocutors thanked us for the information.
Wijeratne asked us to confirm that joining the initiative did
not entail a commitment to deploy to any specific PKO. He
also pointed out that some Sri Lankan Army (SLA) specialized
forces (communications, engineering, logistics and medical)
were presently fully engaged in fighting Sri Lanka's
two-decade-old ethnic conflict with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers).
We indicated understanding for the current situation in the
country.
3. (SBU) Our Sri Lankan counterparts told us that their
government was highly interested in joining GPOI, and that
the initiative had the support of both MFA and MoD.
Wijeratne said the Government of Sri Lanka was not sure how
to respond formally, since they had until now only received
informal briefing materials. We proposed an exchange of
letters between Ambassador and Foreign Minister as an
expeditious way to take note of a mutual desire to proceed
with the partnership. Our MFA interlocutors agreed this
would be appropriate.
4. (SBU) Ambassador Blake sent a letter to Foreign Minister
Samaraweera on December 13 based on ref a and the GPOI fact
sheet provided by PM (copy e-mailed to SCA/INS). Post
anticipates receiving a reply from the Foreign Minister
within a few days. Pol section and Office of Defense
Cooperation (ODC) stand ready to facilitate visits by an
assessment team and to help implement activities under GPOI
within Sri Lanka, or elsewhere.
BLAKE