AMBASSADOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000368

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017
TAGS: PREL OVIP CE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS FOREIGN
MINISTER,S UPCOMING VISIT TO WASHINGTON; MINISTER TO
REQUEST OFFICIAL VISIT FOR PRESIDENT RAJAPAKS TO WASHINGTON


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


1. (C) Ambassador called on Sri Lankan Foreign Minister
Rohita Bogollagama on March 5th to brief him on the
Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement that Ambassador
signed earlier in the day with Defense Secretary
RajapaksA(septel). Bogollagama expressed appreciation for
the briefing. Neither he nor Foreign Secretary Kohona was
aware of the agreement.

Bogollogama Visit
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador took the opportunity to offer some
suggestions for the Minister's upcoming visit to the United
States to meet Secretary Rice on March 16. The Minister said
he planned to spend the day of March 14 in New York on
unspecified UN business and then spend March 15 and 16 in
Washington. Ambassador suggested that in addition to meeting
with Dr. Rice, the Foreign Minister plan to meet with A/S
Boucher, do some public diplomacy at one of Washington's
think tanks, and then spend the balance of his time meeting
with members of the Sri Lankan Caucus in THE House of
Representatives and interested senators whom Ambassador
Goonatilleke would be able to identify. Bogollagama said
this mirrored his thoughts exactly. He plans to contact
former Ambassador Tezi Schaffer of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies to see if she would organize a
round table discussion. He also wanted an extensive round of
calls on the Hill to explain the actions Sri Lanka had taken
on the human rights and humanitarian issues that were of
concern to them. Bogollagama said he would be accompanied by
Foreign Secretary Kohona and the MFA Director General for
Strategic Communications Ravinatha Aryasinha, who just
returned from a stint as Sri Lanka's Deputy Chief of Mission
in Washington.

Rajapaksa Visit
--------------


3. (C) Bogollagama previewed that he would seek Dr. Rice's
support for a visit by President Rajapaksa to Washington to
meet with the President before President Bush leaves office.
The Ambassador cautioned that such visits are laid on well in
advance and comparatively rare. He suggested that prospects
for getting White House approval for a visit or a meeting
with the President would be greatly enhanced if President
Rajapaksa succeeded in getting through Parliament a credible
power sharing agreement that meets the aspirations of Sri
Lanka's Tamil and other communities. Real progress on human
rights would also be important the Ambassador advised.
Bogollagama agreed noting that both were high priorities of
his.
BLAKE