This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, EUR/NB 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  06-19-13 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM CE NO JA LTTE
SUBJECT:  In positive news for peace process, Norwegian 
facilitators touch base with the Tamil Tigers 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1075, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Joseph L. Novak, Charge d'Affaires. 
Reasons:  1.5 (b, d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  After a brief hiatus in contacts, 
Norwegian facilitators met with the Tamil Tigers on 
June 18.  Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar told us the 
Tigers complained about the June 14 sinking of one of 
their ships and denied culpability for a wave of recent 
assassinations.  The group also said it was waiting for 
new proposals from the GSL re an interim structure for 
the north/east.  The fact that the meeting took place is 
positive news.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) MEETING WITH TIGERS:  After a brief hiatus in 
contacts, Norwegian government facilitators met June 18 
with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 
(Note:  The LTTE had last met with the Norwegians just 
before the Tokyo donors conference, which took place 
June 9-10.  The group -- which did not attend Tokyo -- 
had seemingly been avoiding contact with the GoN and 
much of the rest of the international community since 
that time.)  The meeting took place in the LTTE- 
controlled town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka. 
In a June 19 conversation with Charge, Norwegian 
Ambassador Hans Brattskar, who led the GoN side at the 
meeting, related that the 90-minute meeting was cordial. 
He said S.P. Thamilchelvam, the LTTE's political chief, 
seemed to go out of his way to be diplomatic and 
friendly.  (Note:  In a late June 18 posting, the pro- 
LTTE website "TamilNet" provided a very brief, neutral- 
sounding report on the meeting, complete with several 
photos.) 
 
¶3.  (C) TIGER COMPLAIN RE SHIP INCIDENT:  Aside from the 
relatively upbeat atmospherics, Thamilchelvam made clear 
that the LTTE had deep concerns over the sinking of one 
of its ships during a confrontation with the Sri Lankan 
Navy (SLN) on June 14 (see Reftels).  Thamilchelvam 
complained that the SLN acted completely without 
provocation in sinking the ship and without any concern 
for the fate of the LTTE crew.  (Note:  Twelve LTTE 
personnel are presumed dead in the incident.  Despite 
Thamilchelvam's assertions, it is still not clear 
whether the LTTE crew detonated the ship or whether it 
was sunk by SLN gunfire.  For its part, the SLN says the 
LTTE blew up the ship.)  Thamilchelvam, Brattskar 
continued, also complained that the SLN had utterly 
failed to involve the Norwegian-run Sri Lanka Monitoring 
Mission (SLMM) in its June 14 operation, as it should 
have per understandings related to the February 2002 
ceasefire accord.  Brattskar, urging the LTTE to act 
with restraint, noted to Thamilchelvam that the SLMM was 
investigating the incident and would be reporting its 
conclusions soon.  (Note:  The SLMM report is reportedly 
due out next week.  We understand that the SLMM cannot 
yet prove the SLN's contention that the LTTE's ship was 
carrying arms-related items, nor can it prove the LTTE's 
contention that the ship was an "oil tanker.") 
 
¶4.  (C) DENIAL OF INVOLVEMENT IN KILLINGS:  The 
Norwegian side also raised the issue of the recent wave 
of assassinations of anti-LTTE Tamils.  (Note:  Over 30 
opponents of the Tigers have been killed in recent 
months -- See Reftels.  In one particularly notorious 
incident, a senior-level Tamil politician was shot and 
killed in Jaffna on June 14.  The Tigers are almost 
certainly responsible for the slayings.)  Thamilchelvam 
denied in vociferous fashion that the Tigers had carried 
out the killings.  He went on to assert that Sri Lanka 
had a "culture of political violence," which should be 
held accountable for the killings, north and south.  In 
the larger interests of the facilitation effort, 
Brattskar said he did not press the matter further with 
Thamilchelvam.  He said Norway would continue to treat 
the issue as a high priority, however. 
 
¶5.  (C) INTERIM STRUCTURE IDEA:  Regarding the overall 
peace process, Brattskar said he had tried to brief 
Thamilchelvam on the results of the Tokyo conference. 
Thamilchelvam, however, did not evince much interest in 
the matter.  Re engagement with the GSL, Thamilchelvam 
said the LTTE still awaited further details from the 
government regarding the formation of an interim 
administrative structure in the north/east.  (Note: 
Thamilchelvam expressed zero interest in ideas raised by 
GSL Minister G.L. Peiris on June 16 re forming "district 
development committees" in the north/east as a prelude 
to agreement on an interim structure -- See Reftels.) 
Brattskar replied that he understood that the government 
was working on the matter, but it would take some more 
time.  Thamilchelvam gave no indication that the Tigers 
planned to re-engage the GSL in peace talks soon. 
(Note:  The Tigers suspended their participation in the 
face-to-face talks with the government in late April.) 
 
¶6.  (C) (((Note:  When asked, Brattskar responded that 
Thamilchelvam did not mention the U.S. in any way.  He 
said Thamilchelvam did -- echoing recent postings on 
"TamilNet" -- warn about "outside interference" in the 
peace track.  Brattskar took this as a vague reference 
possibly to the U.S. and perhaps to some other members 
of the international community.))) 
 
¶7.  (C) NORWAY'S NEXT STEPS:  Brattskar said the GoN was 
encouraged that the meeting had gone forward.  The LTTE 
had been difficult to get hold of for a period, but it 
now seemed willing to discuss matters with the GoN. 
When queried, Brattskar replied that it seemed possible 
that Norwegian facilitators might even be meeting with 
the LTTE's London-based spokesman Anton Balasingham, 
soon.  Re Japan, Brattskar said he was not sure, but he 
did not think that Japanese government representatives, 
including Special Envoy Akashi, had had any luck 
arranging meetings with the LTTE as of yet.  (Note:  We 
have heard the same from the Japanese Embassy.) 
 
¶8.  (C) COMMENT:  Based on Brattskar's comments, the 
Tigers made no commitment to re-engage the GSL soon, 
preferring to complain about the recent ship sinking 
incident, for example.  The fact that the meeting took 
place is positive news, however.  For weeks now, the 
group had been issuing ever more harsh sounding 
statements re the peace process, as Tamil opponents of 
the group were being gunned down.  In the meantime, 
since Tokyo, the Tigers had also been virtually 
incommunicado as far as the Norwegians were concerned. 
With the group back in touch with the GoN, the peace 
process -- which had been getting a bit ragged around 
the edges -- might pick up some much needed momentum. 
Nonetheless, the Tigers, who seem to go through volatile 
mood swings regarding the peace track, remain a real 
wildcard.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
NOVAK