SRI LANKA: FOREIGN SECRETARY COMPLAINS ABOUT U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001667 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, IO AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: FOREIGN SECRETARY COMPLAINS ABOUT U.S. STATEMENT IN GENEVA REF: A) COLOMBO 1652 B) COLOMBO 1656 Classified By: DCM James R. Moore. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) DCM and Pol Chief were summoned by Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona on December 13 to discuss proceedings at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Kohona expressed the government's objection to the U.S. delegation's statement in support of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour's efforts in Sri Lanka. Kohona criticized the statement for citing "the rise in forced disappearances," noting that recent Red Cross figures showed a continued decline in abductions in Sri Lanka through the third quarter of 2007. Kohona also regretted that we had supported the concept of an "expanded presence" of the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sri Lanka. ¶2. (C) Kohona noted that the atmosphere in the country was strained and that nationalist Sinhalese groups with extreme ideologies had enormous influence. He said that the government had to manage these groups, for whom, given Sri Lanka's colonial past, suggestions of international monitoring were anathema. He asked again for patience, noting that Sri Lanka had already taken certain steps to address his human rights problems. As a poor country, Sri Lanka had limited capacity to implement change and weak institutions, he said, but told us that the government and the country were "intrinsically inclined" to do the right thing, given more time. ¶3. (C) DCM observed that Kohona appeared to be justifying the refusal to accept international help to curb human rights abuses based on the need to accommodate extremist groups. This, he said, would be a "hard sell" in Washington and other capitals. He pointed out that many efforts to help develop Sri Lanka's national institutions had fallen short. Bodies such as the Human Rights Commission and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry had been unable to carry out their mandates. For this reason, the U.S. and others thought that an enhanced presence of the OHCHR was essential. DCM noted that these positions of the U.S. were not new, but had been reiterated by Ambassador, Assistant Secretary Boucher, and other senior officials on several occasions. ¶4. (C) DCM deplored the recent harsh criticism of the work of UN agencies by members of the government, nationalist parliamentarians, and parts of the media, which, he noted, was creating an increasingly difficult climate for essential humanitarian operations (ref a). In one case, this had resulted in the premature departure of a UN worker who was a U.S. citizen. He urged the GSL to adopt a more constructive and balanced tone. Kohona reiterated his argument that the government had to consider the response of influential nationalist elements. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Post sees little in the U.S. statement in response to High Commissioner Arbour's report that should have surprised the Sri Lankan government. We are aware that the ICRC has documented an encouraging recent trend in abductions island-wide, but this is only part of the picture. In other areas - especially the alarming increase in extrajudicial killings in Jaffna - the situation appears to have deteriorated as the internal political climate has soured. The meeting with Kohona was frank, but cordial, with both sides engaging in a substantive discussion of the human rights situation and how to improve it. By contrast, a recent speech by outgoing British High Commissioner Dominic Chilcott and an EU statement on the recent abduction of family members of Tamil parliamentarians (ref b) drew a sharp and public response by the government. Embassy will continue our constructive dialogue with the Foreign Ministry on Sir Lanka's human rights problems. However, it will be difficult to sustain recent improvements or address persistent, glaring deficits in observance of human rights until we can persuade Sri Lanka's security forces that the illegal and COLOMBO 00001667 002 OF 002 inappropriate tactics they are employing in places like Jaffna are actually counterproductive. BLAKE