VZCZCXYZ0009
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLM #0704/01 1970357
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 160357Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0239
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 7042
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 3908
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3177
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 8803
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 1790
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3633
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1267
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//
RHMFIUU/CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000704 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/INSB, DRL/NESCA, PM/WRA AND PRM 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA 
AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, JBORNS 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR ACONVERY, RTHAYER AND RKERR 
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA WBERGER 
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA MROGERS AND POL SBERRY 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
USUN FOR ECOSOC DMERCADO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM CE
SUBJECT: Getting Set to De-Mine Sri Lanka's North - Stepping 
Gingerly 
 
REF: COLOMBO 0621 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Charge and other U.S. Embassy officials met July 
10 with Basil Rajapaksa, Special Advisor to the Sri Lankan 
president.  Their discussion focused on de-mining in Sri Lanka's 
Northern Province - a prerequisite for the return of those displaced 
during the protracted conflict between the LTTE and the Government 
of Sri Lanka (GSL).  The Charge confirmed that State/WRA had just 
executed four grants, totaling $6 million, with Danish Demining 
Group (DDG), The Swiss Foundation for Mine action (FSD), Halo Trust, 
and Mine Advisory Group (MAG).  Rajapaksa acknowledged the important 
role played by experienced international NGO (INGO) mine action 
agencies.  Expressing concern about monitoring the INGO's 
performance (and pointing out that they have multiple funding 
sources), Rajapaksa asked for a summary of the expected outputs to 
be achieved with USG funding.  He also invited the USG to propose 
where and how INGO assets would best support de-mining in the North. 
 Rajapaksa then revealed that assessments were already underway in 
the North - being conducted by multi-disciplinary teams of sector 
experts and engineers - to determine the priority work to be 
undertaken in preparation for IDP returns.  He concluded by saying 
that the GSL is now thinking ahead to creating returns packages for 
IDPs, once mines are cleared and minimum conditions for their 
returns are met.  In a follow on meeting with Rajapaksa on July 14, 
Charge delivered a letter with additional details of the INGO 
programs.  Rajapaksa has become very engaged with de-mining, and 
commended the USG for playing an important and constructive role, 
for example through mapping, in having the GSL focus on priority 
areas for de-mining.  END SUMMARY 
 
A Flurry of Activity Focused on De-Mining 
 
¶2.  (SBU) One month ago, the Charge first met with Rajapaksa 
(reftel) to discuss the GSL's criteria for de-mining the North. 
Since that meeting, there has been a flurry of activity focused on 
de-mining.  Late in June, on a trip to India to discuss 
 
reconstruction of the North, Rajapaksa negotiated the funding of 
four Indian de-mining teams (exmilitary) to participate in the 
de-mining of SriLanka's North.  During the trip, he also called 
harge, asking about USG funding of mine action INGs and expressing 
concern about how their performance would be measured. 
 
A Hint of Optimism 
 
¶3.  (SBU) With resources for de-mining available and mounting 
pressure on the GSL to live up to its promise to return 80 percent 
of the displaced population by the end of the year, Rajapaksa has 
convened several meetings over the past week of high level officials 
to discuss de-mining.   On July 10, he met with representatives of 
the INGO and local NGO mine action agencies, UNDP, the Sri Lankan 
Army (SLA), and his own advisors from the Ministry of Nation 
Building and Estate Infrastructure Development. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In a read-out afterwards by the INGOs, it was clear that 
Rajapksa set a positive, constructive tone in the meeting.  He 
recognized the de-mining expertise of INGOs and emphasized that 
their contributions will allow people to return home as quickly as 
possible.  He informed that the National Mine Action Center would be 
moved to the same building as the Presidential Task Force for 
Resettlement of the North, which is also chaired by Rajapaksa.  As 
part of this centralization process, he noted that future mine 
action task orders would be issued in Colombo, and that procedures 
would be streamlined to facilitate the work in the field (for 
example, in the issuance of security clearances for local de-miners, 
visas for expat staff, and approvals for the movement of de-mining 
equipment to various sites in the North).  He also stated that 
future de-mining proposals must be submitted to the GSL for review 
and approval before submission to donors, expressing concern that 
INGOs - with their multiple funding sources - are not held 
adequately accountable for the work accomplished. 
 
Reaching Agreement on USG Demining Grants 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Rajapaksa repeated a similar message to the Charge. 
Acknowledging that USG funding is being channeled to INGOs (and not 
to the SLA or the civilian de-mining unit of the GSL, as had been 
repeatedly requested of the U.S. and other donors), Rajapaksa said 
that the GSL wants a better accounting of the work to be undertaken 
by INGOs.  He asked for information on what the USG is buying with 
its $6 million contribution, specifically asking about increases in 
manpower and acquisition of new equipment.  He also asked what could 
be accomplished with these resources, in terms of meeting the 
de-mining needs of the North.  The Charge agreed to write a letter 
providing the requested information. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Although the Charge underscored that the GSL should view 
these INGO grants as part of its de-mining arsenal, supporting the 
priorities identified by the GSL, Rajapaksa turned the issue 180 
degrees, asking what the USG proposed undertaking with these 
resources.  What followed was a discussion of geographic areas in 
the North, with Rajapaksa referring to several maps and pointing out 
priority areas in the Districts of Mannar (the Rice Bowl and Manthai 
West Division, and Madhu Church), Kilinochchi (Pachchilaipalli and 
Kandavalai Divisions, along A-9 Road to Kilinochchi Town), 
Mullaitivu (Manthai East and Tunukkai Divisions and along the A-32 
Road from Mankulam to Mullaitivu Town). 
 
An Innovative USAID Map 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Once Rajapaksa had pointed out areas of focus on his 
series of district-level maps, Charge spread out a 1:150,000 scale 
map of the North, developed by USAID's Geographic Information 
Systems Expert.  Although the available minefield/UXO contamination 
data is incomplete (there is no LTTE minefield data available and 
the SLA minefield data post-2006 has not been made public), the map 
is nevertheless the first cartographic presentation of Rajapaksa's 
stated de-mining priorities overlaid with existing minefield data. 
This same map had been shared earlier with Rajapaksa's technical 
advisors.  Sufficiently impressed, Rajapaksa asked that the USAID 
map be left with him. NOTE: the map has also sparked discussion 
within the GSL, with UNDP, among other donors (Japanese, British, 
Australians, ECHO), and among the mine action INGOs themselves. 
 
GSL Demining and Resettlement Plans? 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Rajapaksa showed recent reports by GSL officials 
(technical specialists and engineers) that described the damage to 
and rehabilitation needs of infrastructure in many population 
centers, until recently inaccessible to civilians.  He said that 
Government teams had visited 30 of the 33 divisions in the Vanni and 
had written reports and taken photos.  He went on to list the types 
of returns incentives being contemplated by the GSL, including: a 
25,000 Rupees ($210) grant per family (according to Rajapaksa, the 
first round of returnees will receive this grant from UNHCR 
funding), tin sheets for house reconstruction, six months' food 
rations (to which USAID food aid will make an important 
contribution), and various incentives (seeds, subsidized fertilizer, 
tools) for re-starting agricultural production.  He did admit, 
however, that "we don't yet have funding for all these inputs." 
Follow-on Meeting 
 
¶9.  (SBU) On July 14, the Charge and USAID Director participated in 
a ceremony chaired by Rajapaksa to acknowledge the contribution by 
the USG of emergency Title II food aid to the displaced people of 
the North.  In his remarks of appreciation, Rajapaksa noted the 
support being provided by the USG to the GSL for returning people 
"to their homes of origin."  He particularly underscored the USG 
contribution to de-mining, mentioning that "we may travel two 
different roads, but we are all headed to the same destination" - a 
reference to and recognition of our funding INGO mine action 
agencies, whereas the GSL has sought donor support for its SLA and 
civilian Humanitarian De-Mining Unit de-miners.  Rajapaksa went on 
 
to publicly recognize that the USAID-produced de-mining map has 
helped the GSL focus its de-mining priorities, and requested that 
USAID provide one map to each of the five Government Agents (from 
the five districts) of the North, who were meeting later that day to 
discuss reconstruction and resettlement. 
 
Letter Delivered 
 
¶10. (SBU) After the food aid ceremony, the Charge handed Rajapaksa 
the letter requested in the July 10 meeting.  He pointed out that 
the letter and attachments were a summary of many of the de-mining 
assets in-country (personnel and equipment), as well as providing 
information on what personnel and major equipment was being funded 
by the State/WRA funding.  Also in response to Rajapaksa's request, 
the Charge's letter gives illustrative scenarios to the GSL as to 
where and how these four mine action INGOs can be deployed. 
Rajapaksa noted that he would accompany a JICA delegation to the 
North on July 15 to look at reconstruction possibilities, he stated 
that he would like to take a USG delegation in the near future. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) COMMENT: We are encouraged by the positive and 
constructive tone being conveyed in these de-mining meetings with 
senior GSL officials.  We feel that momentum is building, in part 
because of groundwork by USG officials with the mine action INGOs, 
UNDP, and GSL officials.  We will continue to look for ways to 
engage the GSL, emphasizing our supportive role, while working 
behind the scenes with other donors and the technical experts from 
the INGO mine action agencies.  It is becoming increasingly apparent 
that the GSL is sincere about having people return home as soon as 
minimum conditions - including de-mining - are met. Whereas too much 
time over the past months has been wasted by the GSL in trying to 
demonstrate the ineffectiveness of de-mining by INGOs, compared to 
the SLA, the mood seems to be shifting toward acknowledgement that 
a) USG and most other donor funding will only be channeled through 
the INGOs, and b) these organizations have an important role in 
making the North safe for IDP returns.  Nevertheless, the inherent 
distrust of INGOs continues to be a factor, demonstrated by 
Rajapaksa's insistence that future de-mining proposals be vetted by 
the GSL, and that INGOs be held accountable for their funding and 
their results.  Although more sanguine than Rajapaksa about the 
capacity and accountability of mine action INGOs, particularly those 
selected by the USG for funding, we too will focus on performance. 
MOORE