By Colombo Telegraph –
“Asked by the Ambassador if President Kumaratunga’s public statements about a quick return to the peace table with the LTTE were realistic, Wickremesinghe said they were not. “First they must decide what their core principles are and the JVP will pull them strongly in an unhelpful direction.” Moreover, Wickremesinghe said, it is not clear who could lead a delegation for this government. Neither the President nor Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would be acceptable to the LTTE. Asked if the UNP would participate in the next round of talks if asked to contribute team members by the President, Wickremesinghe said it would not. The government, in his view, should handle negotiations, with other political parties only becoming involved once a draft deal has been hammered out.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
Ranil
A Leaked “CONFIDENTIAL” US diplomatic cable, dated April 19, 2004, updated the Secretary of State regarding a meeting the US Ambassador had with Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable was signed by the US Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead.
The Ambassador, accompanied by DCM, called on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe April 19 to thank him for the excellent cooperation in the U.S.-Sri Lankan relationship which occurred under his tenure as PM and to get the now-Opposition Leader’s views on what went wrong in the election and how the victors will fare in the months ahead.
“Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Ambassador that perceptions of economic well-being (or, rather, the opposite) had been key in his parliamentary defeat on April 2. He is skeptical the winners will be able to get back to the peace table with the LTTE anytime soon. Wickremesinghe plans to watch the winners stumble over the inherent contradictions in their coalition and profit from the disarray, perhaps beginning with the selection of a Speaker when Parliament opens this Thursday. The Ambassador expressed thanks for the excellent cooperation received from the PM’s office while he was in power. We recommend a call to Wickremesinghe from the Deputy Secretary making similar points.” the US ambassador further wrote.
Read the cable below for further details;
Related news to the cable;
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000662 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT DEPARTMENT PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC NSC FOR E. MILLARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04-19-14 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON CE SUBJECT: Former PM sees economy as key factor in electoral defeat, expects the winning coalition to find tough sledding Refs: Colombo 647, and previous (U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. Reasons 1.5 (b, d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Ambassador that perceptions of economic well-being (or, rather, the opposite) had been key in his parliamentary defeat on April 2. He is skeptical the winners will be able to get back to the peace table with the LTTE anytime soon. Wickremesinghe plans to watch the winners stumble over the inherent contradictions in their coalition and profit from the disarray, perhaps beginning with the selection of a Speaker when Parliament opens this Thursday. The Ambassador expressed thanks for the excellent cooperation received from the PM's office while he was in power. We recommend a call to Wickremesinghe from the Deputy Secretary making similar points. END SUMMARY. SIPDIS ¶2. (C) The Ambassador, accompanied by DCM, called on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe April 19 to thank him for the excellent cooperation in the U.S.-Sri Lankan relationship which occurred under his tenure as PM and to get the now-Opposition Leader's views on what went wrong in the election and how the victors will fare in the months ahead. It's the Economy, Stupid ------------------------ ¶3. (C) Wickremesinghe agreed with the Ambassador that economic issues had been paramount in the election, as heralded in the run-up to April 2 in a series of polls which made clear that many Sri Lankans saw themselves as worse off than two years before. He noted, however, that while it was true that many consumer good prices had gone up, there was a much greater array of consumer goods available than two years ago. "They can buy CD players now if they want." Wickremesinghe said the new government will be hard-pressed to fill all of the economic promises made during the campaign, like 60,000 new jobs and higher subsidies, especially for fertilizer and other agricultural imports. If they press forward, Wickremesinghe predicted, interest rates will rise, the rupee will fall and the "international community" will become concerned. The Opposition Leader chuckled, "They think we left a surplus when in fact we left a deficit of seven million!" Back to the Peace Table Quickly? -------------------------------- ¶4. (C) Asked by the Ambassador if President Kumaratunga's public statements about a quick return to the peace table with the LTTE were realistic, Wickremesinghe said they were not. "First they must decide what their core principles are and the JVP will pull them strongly in an unhelpful direction." Moreover, Wickremesinghe said, it is not clear who could lead a delegation for this government. Neither the President nor Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would be acceptable to the LTTE. Asked if the UNP would participate in the next round of talks if asked to contribute team members by the President, Wickremesinghe said it would not. The government, in his view, should handle negotiations, with other political parties only becoming involved once a draft deal has been hammered out. Parliamentary Machinations -------------------------- ¶5. (C) Wickremesinghe confirmed that parliamentary infighting and jockeying will begin the moment Parliament reconvenes this Thursday (April 22). The first issue will be selection of a Speaker. Wickremesinghe seemed confident that the UNP would prevail in this first skirmish and confirmed that former Minister of Justice and Buddhist Affairs W.J.M. Lokubandara would be the opposition candidate. Beyond that, Wickremesinghe said he will wait for the inevitable contradictions in the winning coalition to play out and look for opportunities to hurry the process along. He told the Ambassador that he is confident the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) will stay with the UNP -- at least for a while. If the other side is unable to get a majority, the coalition can limp along but "it will become increasingly difficult for them to sustain in the months ahead." Wickremesinghe also appeared confident that his side could block any effort to convene a constituent assembly. ¶6. (C) The new Opposition Leader said the JVP wants to be "the second party in Sri Lanka." If President Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) continues to be "run by Bandaranaikes," there is a good chance that in ten years it will disintegrate with many members coming over to the UNP. Wickremesinghe admitted that his party is taking stock of what went wrong (indeed a meeting of party luminaries was breaking up as the Ambassador arrived) but had reached no conclusions yet. Comment ------- ¶7. (C) Receiving the Ambassador in the bare-walled, spartanly-furnished offices of the Opposition Leader for twenty minutes, the former PM seemed tired and was his usual terse self. He clearly appreciated and reciprocated the Ambassador's thanks for the close working relationship the U.S. and Sri Lanka had during his tenure as PM but nodded in agreement when the Ambassador underlined that we hope to have a similarly fruitful relationship with the new government. We recommend that the Deputy Secretary call the former PM to make the same points. ¶8. (U) Minimize considered. LUNSTEAD
John Wayne / November 22, 2012
Ranil Wickramasinghe is a big prick! He is also totally unprincipled, power mad and pathetic human being, who is desperately unpopular but clings to power while destroying party and country while tacitly collaborating with the Rajapassa dictatorship in order to remain UNP party leader!
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Dame Vivi / November 22, 2012
Indeed, Ranil is a prick and his wife a fake feminist who chills out with the NGO ladies who have said nothing about the impeachment of the first woman CJ of Sri Lanka!
The women’s NGOs are a bunch of losers!
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BunkerRat / November 23, 2012
Spine… my dear Ranil…Spine… that’s what you need when the countrymen are being butchered and need to be saved from the Tamil terrorists.
You and your party-men insulted our proud troops fighting the world’s deadliest (Tamil)terrorists and became a roadblock to the elected leaders tackling the powerful foreign vultures flying into save the Tamil terrorists for another 30 years with difficulty. Not a word from you to those vultures to GET LOST.
Excuse my French… but what the fkuc YOU LACK? After all we didn’t invade anyone’s country, did we my boy?
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shan / November 23, 2012
you and your ilk saved the country from one terrorists and gave it to another worst terrorists well done,God save mother LANKA
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Wuliangguobinjiu / November 23, 2012
Stupidity and Arrogance has no limits!
Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.
You can maim them, you can torture me, you can even destroy their body, but you will never imprison their mind.
Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to Sri Lanka hersel for generations to come.
The Jewish Synagogues were destroyed and the Jews were driven away by the Romans.
The Jewish folk fled world over and were accepted even by Kerala.
They rule the world today neither you nor I.
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BunkerRat / November 23, 2012
You are right. The Tamil terrorists instilled fear in us and killed thousands for a fairyland. You are right… the Tamil terrorists destroyed Sri Lanka’s fragile economy and made the folks there helpless and insulted. You are right again… the Tamil Terrorist Diaspora, the TTD is alive and active give more hell to us.
Yes… you are right… the desire for freedom and liberty the Sri Lankans want, cannot be killed by the TTD.
We will face all challenges to Motherlanka, using whatever the means necessary.
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Piranha / November 23, 2012
The biggest challenge motherlanka is facing now is from your Maharajah of all Maharajahs’ Mahinda Rajapaksaraja. The man is destroying the country. Mr Rat,see what you can do from your bunker!
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BunkerRat / November 23, 2012
Only Rajapakse????? Only him????
Tell one the name of a single Sri Lankan leader the TTD did not harrass? The TTD didn’t create violence against? Just give one single name, if you can, between King Dutugemunu to Rajapakse?
There is none.
By default, the TTD is hellbent to kill us… and have been killing us, keeping us poor and helpless, teaming up with the foreign vultures. That agenda is sure to continue for the foreseeable future… but luckily we now have the know-how to counter it.
All these Dutgemunus… Rajapakses will pass… Who cares? But it’s facing the terror challenges from the Tamil Terrorist Diaspora that are keeping the folks like me ticking… ensuring health, wealth and happiness.
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