Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07COLOMBO221
2007-02-06 08:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO "TENSE" KILINOCHCHI

Tags:  PREL PTER PGOV CE 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 6807
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1774
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0523
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000221 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV CE
SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO "TENSE" KILINOCHCHI


Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000221

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV CE
SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO "TENSE" KILINOCHCHI


Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. Summary: In a February 5 readout of his February 1-2
visit to Kilinochchi, Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar
described the mood in the area as very tense. LTTE spokesman
and chief negotiator Tamilselvan complained to Brattskar that
the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) had gone to war by
occupying Vakarai and breaking "every part" of the Cease-fire
Agreement (CFA). Tamilselvan said that for peace talks to
begin, the parties would have to go back to the Cease-fire
Agreement which forms the basis for the peace process.
Tamilselvan left what Brattskar termed "constructive
uncertainty" about whether the LTTE would insist that the GSL
give up the territory in Sampur, Vakarai and the rest of the
east that it had gained in recent fighting. Brattskar
reported that the local population was "fed up" with the
increased forced recruitment by the LTTE, which had even
affected local representatives of international NGOs.
Co-Chair Ambassadors agreed it would be useful for Co-Chair
capitals to have a conference call on or about February 12 to
coordinate on common messages to the Government, including
the need to finish the devolution plan by the end of
February. End Summary.

Meeting with LTTE
--------------


2. (C) Brattskar indicated that he traveled to Kilinochchi
on his own initiative simply to touch base with the LTTE. He
spent 90 minutes with Tamilselvan. Tamilselvan complained
that the GSL has gone to war by occupying Vakarai and
breaking "every part" of the Cease-fire Agreement. He
asserted the GSL was occupying land demarcated to the LTTE
under the CFA. He implored the international community to
tell the GSL to stop its "war-like" activities, but instead
the international community continued to arm Sri Lanka.
Tamilselvan piously asserted that the LTTE respects the CFA
(which Brattskar flatly stated was untrue). Tamilselvan
noted that the LTTE still has the military capacity to mount
offensives against the GSL such as those at Elephant Pass in

the 1990's. However, he claimed the LTTE thus far has
elected to abide by the CFA.


3. (C) Brattskar asked Tamilselvan how to restart the peace
process. Tamilselvan responded that the parties have to go
back to the Cease-fire Agreement which forms the basis for
the peace process. Brattskar commented that Tamilselvan left
what Brattskar termed "constructive uncertainty" about
whether the LTTE would insist that the GSL give up the
territory in Sampur, Vakarai and the rest of the east that it
had gained in recent fighting.


4. (C) Brattskar briefed Tamilselvan on Co-Chair actions at
the recent Development Forum and elsewhere to encourage a
peaceful solution and maintain humanitarian access and
respect for human rights. In particular he reassured
Tamilselvan that most donors were urging the government to
resettle rapidly all ethnic groups that had been displaced
during the fighting in the east. Tamilselvan said many
Tamils were afraid to go back since the army was building up
its presence in the east, but he acknowledged that the GSL
had not yet created any high security zones.


5. (C) With respect to the peace process Tamilselvan told
Brattskar that the recent cabinet changes demonstrated that
the politicians care only about making political deals. He
asked rhetorically how the LTTE could trust and work with
such people. He said the LTTE does not have high
expectations about the all-party conference process to
develop a devolution proposal, but he said he was aware that
the international community attached great importance to the

COLOMBO 00000221 002 OF 002


process and therefore the LTTE would await the final product.

Children in Armed Conflict
--------------


6. Brattskar briefed Tamilselvan on the upcoming
consideration by a UN Security Council working group of Allan
Rock's report. Tamilselvan highlighted the LTTE's child
protection authority. He claimed that the GSL routinely
recruited 17 year olds but did not send them into conflict
until the age of 18 whereas the LTTE was being told it could
not recruit anyone under the age of 18. Brattskar responded
that all parties had to obey international law and not
recruit child soldiers under the age of 18. Brattskar noted
parenthetically that the local UNICEF representative in
Kilinochchi had told him that the LTTE was cooperating more
with UNICEF on child recruitment issues and appeared to be
more careful about recruiting very young children. However,
the recruitment of 16 and 17 year olds remained very high.

Atmospherics
--------------


7. (C) Brattskar commented that Vavuniya and Kilinochchi
were very tense. Several of his interlocutors commented on
the increased incidence of disappearances and killings. Many
of the local population were also "fed up" with the increased
forced recruitment by the LTTE. Local representatives of
international NGOs also had been forcibly recruited by the
LTTE. Telephone land lines to the area had been cut by the
GSL for a week, apparently to prevent the LTTE from sending
instructions to potential suicide bombers in Colombo in
advance of Sri Lanka's National Day on February 4. The food
situation was acceptable but there was a shortage of
medicine. Brattskar noted that he had spoken to the Health
Minister who claimed the medicine had been released by the
GSL but was sitting at checkpoints because local authorities
had not yet received central government approval to let
medicine through. Ambassador agreed to raise this problem at
the next coordination meeting with the Disaster Management
Minister and the Defense Secretary.

Co-Chairs Recommend Conference Call with Capitals
-------------- --------------


8. (C) Co-Chair Ambassadors agreed it would be useful for
Co-Chair capitals to have a conference call on February 12
(or any other date in the near future) to coordinate common
messages to the Government. The Ambassadors agreed it would
be important for all countries to support Indian PM Singh's
recent message to Foreign Minister Bogollogama that the GSL
should have a devolution proposal ready by the end of
February, since the date for its completion continued to
slip. Ambassadors also agreed that it would be important for
capitals to discuss how to respond to the changed
circumstances in the east. EU Head of Mission Wilson noted,
for example, that the EU had allocated development assistance
to go through the Northeast Provincial Council. The GSL was
now telling the EU that this Council was no longer
functioning and that the aid should therefore be divided and
sent to new separate provincial councils in the north and
east. The EU was now deliberating what to do. Accepting the
GSL recommendation would mean a tacit acquiescence to the
de-merger of the north and east, which should really be the
subject of peace negotiations between the LTTE and the GSL.
Septel will provide more info on this important point.
BLAKE