13th Amendment-plus

By Colombo Telegraph –

A leaked US diplomatic cable, dated April 30, 2009, updated the US Secretary of State on “visits by UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, UK Development Minister Mike Foster, UK Foreign Secretary Miliband and French Foreign Minister Kouchner” shows the President Mahinda Rajapaksa talked about “the 13th Amendment-plus” as the political solution with Milband and Kouchner.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and written by the Charge d’Affaires James R. Moore.

There is as yet no evidence that this concern on his behalf will translate into concrete positive steps from GSL. Third, Rajapaksa is beginning to focus on a political way forward along the lines of the 13th Amendment-plus.

James Moore wrote “UK Foreign Secretary Miliband and French Foreign Minister Kouchner arrived on April 29, visited the Manik Farm IDP site and the new French field hospital, and met with senior GSL leadership.”

“At the conclusion of his visit, Miliband asked Charge to convey the following points back to the Department. First, it appeared very difficult for anyone to get accurate information about what is actually happening on the ground. President Rajapaksa himself appeared poorly informed about ground realities. Second, the President appeared increasingly worried about the opinion of the international community, in particular with regard to the IMF stand-by loan and the GSP negotiations with the EU. There is as yet no evidence that this concern on his behalf will translate into concrete positive steps from GSL. Third, Rajapaksa is beginning to focus on a political way forward along the lines of the 13th Amendment-plus.” Charge d’Affaires further wrote.

We give below the relevant part of the cable;

O 301407Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9906
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMEMBASSY OSLO
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AMCONSUL CHENNAI
AMCONSUL MUMBAI
AMCONSUL TORONTO
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
USMISSION GENEVA
DIA WASHINGTON DC
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000479 

STATE FOR SCA/INSB 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: FEW RESULTS FROM HIGH-LEVEL VISITS 

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore for reasons 1.4 b and d 

¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  Successive visits by UN Under Secretary
General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, UK Development
Minister Mike Foster, UK Foreign Secretary Miliband and
French Foreign Minister Kouchner, as well as frequent
high-level contacts by Charge with GSL have yielded no
progress on getting a UN security team into the No-Fire Zone
(NFZ) or achieve a humanitarian pause in fighting.  Japanese
FM Akashi was expected to arrive April 30 for a three-day
visit.  President Rajapaksa announced the end of combat
operations at mid-day on April 27, and in particular the end
of the use of heavy caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial
weapons, but sources inside and outside the NFZ say this
pledge has not been kept.  President Rajapaksa told Holmes on
Monday that medicine would be allowed into the NFZ on the
ICRC medevac ferry.  GSL is promising better cooperation and
coordination on aid for IDPs, and some limited progress has
been seen on allowing international aid into the IDP camps.
However GSL appears intent on taking control of the entire
NFZ militarily, whatever the cost to civilians still there.
The GSL shows no signs of honoring an agreement to Nambiar
and the UN SG to allow a UN team into the NFZ to try to
obtain a release of civilians from the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  End Summary. 

JOHN HOLMES VISIT
-----------------
¶2.  (SBU)  UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian
Affairs John Holmes visited IDP camps and met with President
Rajapaksa on April 27 to press for access for a UN team into
the NFZ to negotiate with the LTTE for their surrender and/or
a release of civilians.  Results were disappointing, with
only an agreeement to allow medicine into the NFZ on the ICRC
medical evacuation ferry, which happened April 28.  Although
President Rajapaksa announced the end of combat operations at
mid-day on April 27, and in particular the end of the use of
heavy caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons,
sources both inside and outside the NFZ reported casualties
April 28-30 from continued use of such weapons, and many
other casualties from the use of smaller weapons. 

UK AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTERS TEAM UP
---------------------------------------
¶3.  (C)  UK Foreign Secretary Miliband and French Foreign
Minister Kouchner arrived on April 29, visited the Manik Farm
IDP site and the new French field hospital, and met with
senior GSL leadership.  At the conclusion of his visit,
Miliband asked Charge to convey the following points back to
the Department.  First, it appeared very difficult for anyone
to get accurate information about what is actually happening
on the ground.  President Rajapaksa himself appeared poorly
informed about ground realities.  Second, the President
appeared increasingly worried about the opinion of the
international community, in particular with regard to the IMF
stand-by loan and the GSP  negotiations with the EU.  There
is as yet no evidence that this concern on his behalf will
translate into concrete positive steps from GSL.  Third,
Rajapaksa is beginning to focus on a political way forward
along the lines of the 13th Amendment-plus. 

¶4.  (C)  British Deputy High Commissioner reported to Charge
that Miliband and Kouchner focused on three main issues - a
ceasefire, access to IDPs and a timetable for IDP returns.
They made a strong push with the President, Foreign Minister
and Defense Secretary for a ceasefire to allow civilians out
and humanitarian aid in.  The GSL was steadfast in its
opposition to a ceasefire, saying the LTTE was nearly
defeated and a ceasefire would only allow the LTTE to
regroup. 

¶5.  (C)  In all their meetings with the GSL, Miliband and
Kouchner pushed for full access to IDP camps for humanitarian
workers and for treatment of IDPs that meets international
humanitarian standards.  They raised the problems of
non-issuance of visas for ICRC staff and military checkpoint
blockages of aid shipments to the camps.  The President
appeared to be unaware of such problems and turned to the FM
for clarification.  The President committed to better
cooperation with the UN and NGOs and to greater access to IDP
transit sites.  At Miliband's suggestion, the President
agreed to meet with the UN and ICRC resident representatives
to discuss these concerns. 

¶6.  (C)  Miliband and Kouchner stressed the need for a
month-by-month plan with benchmarks for returning IDPs to
their homes.  This would enable the international community
to work with and support GSL in meeting these targets.
Although the main focus was on more immediate concerns, they
also encouraged the President to articulate a political
proposal and way forward.

MOORE