MGKV01: SRI LANKA REJECTS RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000172 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR KOSOVO MONITORING GROUP, SCA/INS, AND EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL UN UNMIK YI EU KV CE SUBJECT: MGKV01: SRI LANKA REJECTS RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO REF: SECSTATE 16319 ¶1. (U) On February 17, Sri Lanka rejected Kosovo's declaration of independence, citing its potential to set an "unmanageable" precedent, and claiming that it violates the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244. ¶2. (U) In a statement issued on February 17, the Foreign Ministry stated: "We note that the declaration of independence was made without the consent of the majority of people in Serbia. The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) by Kosovo could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations, the established global order of sovereign States and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace and security. This action by Kosovo is a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which enshrines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States. Moreover, the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10th June 1999 reaffirms commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States of the region. This action is particularly regrettable, since all efforts at reaching a negotiated political settlement on the future status of Kosovo, as envisaged by the Security Council Resolution 1244, have not been exhausted." ¶3. (SBU) In an editorial published in the 'Sunday Island' on February 17, Dayan Jayatilleka (Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to UN organizations in Geneva) implied strong parallels between Sri Lanka and Serbia as sovereign states dealing with secessionist forces. Jayatilleka cited two alternative options for Kosovo: 1) "the fullest autonomy within Serbia"; and 2) "the carving out of the Serbian majority portion of Kosovo and its annexation with Serbia." He summed up the "lessons for Sri Lanka: never withdraw the armed forces from any part of our territory in which they are challenged, and never permit a foreign presence on our soil." Jayatilleka closed with a thinly-veiled reference to Sri Lanka's relations with the U.S.: "...all state and non-state actors which work towards the weakening of state sovereignty in the non metropolitan areas of the world...cannot be regarded as the strategic friends, allies and partners of Sri Lanka." ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The Sri Lankan Government clearly felt a sense of urgency in rejecting Kosovo's independence, issuing a statement on the very day that Kosovo made its declaration. As one peace advocate and proponent of federalism told us, "recognition of a separatist movement by world powers is the Sinhalese majority's worst nightmare." The LTTE will surely seek maximum propaganda advantage of these developments for its purposes. Ambassador and Emboffs will make a concerted effort to explain to the Sri Lankan government and public that the two cases are different and that Kosovo has no precedent value for other situations. However, we see little or no possibility of changing the GSL's stand, which is driven by its own domestic imperatives. BLAKE