{"id":1653,"date":"2011-11-09T05:46:11","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T05:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colombotelegraph.com\/?p=1653"},"modified":"2017-11-01T13:25:36","modified_gmt":"2017-11-01T07:55:36","slug":"wikileaks-the-war-had-not-been-clean-gota-to-us-senate-foreign-relations-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-the-war-had-not-been-clean-gota-to-us-senate-foreign-relations-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"WikiLeaks: The war had \u201cnot been clean\u201d Gota to US Senate Foreign Relations staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Rajapaksa believed strongly in the value of repairing SL’s relations with the U.S.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cRajapaksa noted that in defeating the LTTE terrorists the war had \u2018not been clean,\u2019 but was still a success.\u201d the US Ambassador to Colombo informed Washington.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A leaked US unclassified, but \u201cSENSITIVE\u201d diplomatic cable, recounts details of meetings the US Senate Foreign Relations staff members has had with the senior government officials, international organizations, political leaders, civil-society activists, and journalists between November 2-8, 2009. The Colombo Telegraph found the cable from WikiLeaks database. The cable was written on December 1, 2009\u00a0by the US Ambassador to Colombo Patricia A. Butenis.<\/p>\n

The US Ambassador wrote \u201cDefense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressed frustration that the U.S. and international community had not recognized the government\u2019s progressive transition to democracy, ethnic reconciliation, disarmament and demobilization of paramilitary groups, rehabilitation of child soldiers, and economic development. He repeatedly used the Eastern Province as an example of the government\u2019s demonstrated performance record and as a model for plans in the North.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cHe regretted that SL was \u2018poor at propaganda\u2019 and had done a poor job communicating its actions and intent to the international community, especially the U.S. and the West. While quick to criticize, the U.S. had been slow to acknowledge SL\u2019s achievements.\u201d she further wrote.<\/p>\n

The Ambassador Butenis wrote \u201cRajapaksa believed strongly in the value of repairing SL\u2019s relations with the U.S. and recommended that the U.S. should focus its attention to the future and not the past, judging the GSL on its record of performance in the Eastern Province, and not on the agendas of its critics.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meeting Gotabaya Rajapaksa also discussed the issues related to military. The US Ambassador wrote \u201c The Defense Secretary ruled out expansion of the military \u2013 dismissing it as \u2018only the Army talking\u2019 \u2013 and said he hoped to increase SL military\u2019s involvement in future UN peacekeeping operations. According to Rajapksa, the increases in the defense budget were meant to meet payment schedules for acquisitions during the war from China, Pakistan and Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Defence Secretary tool the opportunity to apologize to the staffers for involving them in a security incident at their hotel room the night before. The incident occurred when they received a surprise visit to one of their rooms by Sri Lankan plain clothes police. The police , acting on orders to investigate an anonymous tip that room 1603 (staffer\u2019s room) was harbouring a terrorist, reacted by going directly to the room (not alerting the hotel) to investigate. The Defense Secretary explained that he had personally received this tip; had he known that the staffers were the occupants of the room 1603, he would have prevented the incident.\u201d The Ambassador Butenis wrote. She further wrote \u201cWhile the Defense Secretary apologized for the incident, it demonstrated heightened security concerns and lack of an adequate information – screening \u00a0\u00a0process by the police and the Defense Secretary\u201d<\/p>\n

Realated news ; WikiLeaks: \u201c I\u2019m not saying we are clean\u201d Basil \u00a0to US Senate Foreign Relations staff<\/a><\/p>\n

The Colombo Telegraph publishes the relevant part of the leaked cable below;<\/p>\n

VZCZCXRO5326\r\nPP RUEHBI\r\nDE RUEHLM #1054\/01 3270240\r\nZNR UUUUU ZZH\r\nP 230240Z NOV 09\r\nFM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO\r\nTO RUEHC\/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0805\r\nINFO RUEHKA\/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 2075\r\nRUEHIL\/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 9103\r\nRUEHKT\/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 7345\r\nRUEHLO\/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5246\r\nRUEHNE\/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3500\r\nRUEHNY\/AMEMBASSY OSLO 5184\r\nRUEHSM\/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0719\r\nRUEHKO\/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4299\r\nRUEHCG\/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9666\r\nRUEHBI\/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6960\r\nRUEHON\/AMCONSUL TORONTO 0040\r\nRHHMUNA\/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI\r\nRUEHGV\/USMISSION GENEVA 3842\r\nRHEFDIA\/DIA WASHINGTON DC\r\nRHEHAAA\/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC\r\nRUEHBS\/USEU BRUSSELS\r\nUNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 COLOMBO 001054\r\n\r\nSENSITIVE\r\n\r\nSIPDIS\r\n\r\nDEPARTMENT FOR SCA\/INSB\r\n\r\nE.O. 12958: N\/A\r\nTAGS: PGOV<\/a> PREL<\/a> PHUM<\/a> CE<\/a>\r\nSUBJECT: SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE (SFRC) FACT FINDING\r\nMISSION TO SRI LANKA\r\n\r\n\u00b6<\/a>1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On November 2-8, Senate Foreign Relations staff\r\nmembers Nilmini Rubin and Fatema Sumar visited Sri Lanka and held\r\nmeetings with senior government officials, international\r\norganizations, political leaders, civil-society activists, and\r\njournalists to discuss post war reconciliation, resettlement of\r\ninternally displaced persons (IDPs), the humanitarian situation, and\r\nmedia freedom.  They also visited the South, East and IDP camp at\r\nManik Farm.  The StaffDel observed that the post-war situation in\r\nSri Lanka was complex, particularly in light of possible elections;\r\nSri Lankans no longer sensed a strong partnership with the U.S.; the\r\nU.S. \"tool box\" in dealing with the government of Sri Lanka (GSL)\r\nwas self-limited; a sense of palpable fear still hung over the media\r\nand civil society; and while the GSL was making progress and doing\r\nsome good things, SL had a long way to go on reconciliation and\r\nresettlement.  Recognizing SL's geo-strategic importance to the U.S.\r\nand the current and long-term bilateral relationship, many SL\r\ninterlocutors gave their recommendations on strengthening the\r\nrelationship and noted a need for more U.S. assistance for\r\nresettlement and demining. END SUMMARY.\r\n\r\nPRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR:\r\nCRITICISMS NOT WARRANTED\r\n------------------------\r\n\r\n\u00b6<\/a>2. (SBU) The president's brother, MP, and de-facto czar of the IDP\r\nand demining issues Basil Rajapaksa hoped to improve the bilateral\r\nrelationship and build trust with the U.S.  He was critical of\r\nrecent U.S. remarks and recommended that the U.S. should choose its\r\nwords carefully.  For example, he noted that \"the U.S. monitoring\r\nthe progress\" was perceived as \"U.S. encroachment on SL's\r\nsovereignty.\"  While Sri Lanka was a small but proud country, SL did\r\nnot warrant a \"minority mindset\".  He suggested that the U.S. should\r\napproach SL as \"friends\" and \"give suggestions rather than make\r\ncritical remarks,\" and such criticisms were a recent phenomenon.  In\r\nresponse to the \"incident's report,\" Rajapaksa candidly remarked,\r\n\"I'm not saying we're clean; we could not abide by international law\r\n- this would have gone on for centuries, an additional 60 years.\"\r\nHe highlighted the GSL's excellent relationship with India, and\r\nargued that even India did not request monitoring of SL's progress.\r\nBasil spoke at length on the resettlement progress and noted that\r\nJanuary 31 ends the 180-day plan, and that the GSL had promised to\r\nhave 80% of the IDPs released in 180 days, but that \"Blake had said\r\nour plan was too ambitious.\"  He asserted that 80% of the IDPs would\r\nbe released by the end of January.  He did not want to release\r\ndetails of the government's plan because any delays or changes would\r\nleave the GSL open to international criticism.  Basil believed SL\r\nwas well on its way \"to win the hearts and minds of the people\" and\r\nto resettle the IDPs.  On freedom of movement, the GSL was still\r\nconcerned about LTTE sympathizers in the camps and took a paternal\r\nview of the safety of IDPs returning to cleared lands.  On media\r\nfreedom, Basil argued that the media had not been singled out, and\r\nthat high ranking police and army officials and members of the\r\nbusiness community had also been imprisoned on the terrorism\r\ncharges.  On media access to the camps, Rajapaksa emphasized that\r\nmedia restrictions in the camps were for the benefit of the IDPs and\r\ncommented that \"IDPs don't like media, cameras, because they don't\r\nwant to be portrayed in those conditions.\"  He pointed out that free\r\naccess would be only granted to those \"genuinely interested\" and\r\nonly those \"that could be truly trusted.\"\r\n\r\nDEFENSE SECRETARY:  NO\r\nRECOGNITION OF GSL'S PROGRESS\r\n-----------------------------\r\n\r\n\u00b6<\/a>3. (SBU) Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa expressed frustration\r\nthat the U.S. and international community had not recognized the\r\ngovernment's progressive transition to democracy, ethnic\r\nreconciliation, disarmament and demobilization of paramilitary\r\ngroups, rehabilitation of child soldiers, and economic development.\r\nHe repeatedly used the Eastern Province as an example of the\r\ngovernment's demonstrated performance record and as a model for\r\n\r\nCOLOMBO 00001054  002 OF 006\r\n\r\nplans in the North.  He regretted that SL was \"poor at propaganda\"\r\nand had done a poor job communicating its actions and intent to the\r\ninternational community, especially the U.S. and the West.  While\r\nquick to criticize, the U.S. had been slow to acknowledge SL's\r\nachievements.  Rajapaksa believed strongly in the value of repairing\r\nSL's relations with the U.S. and recommended that the U.S. should\r\nfocus its attention on the future and not the past, judging the GSL\r\non its record of performance in the Eastern Province, and not on the\r\nagendas of its critics.  Rajapaksa reiterated SL's real victory over\r\nthe LTTE and contended that lasting peace would only be achieved by\r\ndevelopment in the North.  Rajapaksa noted that in defeating the\r\nLTTE terrorists the war had \"not been clean,\" but was still a\r\nsuccess. The Defense Secretary ruled out expansion of the military -\r\ndismissing it as \"only the army talking\" - and said he hoped to\r\nincrease SL military's involvement in future UN peacekeeping\r\noperations.  According to Rajapaksa, the increases in the defense\r\nbudget were meant to meet payment schedules for acquisitions during\r\nthe war from China, Pakistan and Israel. The Defense Secretary took\r\nthe opportunity to apologize to the staffers for involving them in a\r\nsecurity incident at their hotel room the night before.  The\r\nincident occurred when they received a surprise visit to one of\r\ntheir rooms by Sri Lankan plain clothes police.  The police, acting\r\non orders to investigate an anonymous tip that room 1603 (staffer's\r\nroom) was harboring a terrorist, reacted by going directly to the\r\nroom (not alerting the hotel) to investigate.  The Defense Secretary\r\nexplained that he had personally received this tip; had he known\r\nthat the staffers were the occupants of the room 1603, he would have\r\nprevented the incident.  While the Defense Secretary apologized for\r\nthe incident, it demonstrated heightened security concerns and lack\r\nof an adequate information-screening process by the police and the\r\nDefense Secretary.\r\nBUTENIS<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,57,1,26,27],"tags":[1161,1220,1185,1298,1263,1403,6983],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-politics","category-law-and-order","category-news","category-war-crimes","category-wikileaks","tag-foreign-affairs","tag-gotabhaya-rajapaksa","tag-patricia-a-butenis","tag-sri-lankans-in-wikileaks","tag-us-embassy-cables-on-sri-lanka","tag-us-senate-foreign-relations","tag-war-crimes"],"yoast_head":"\nWikiLeaks: The war had \u201cnot been clean\u201d Gota to US Senate Foreign Relations staff - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-the-war-had-not-been-clean-gota-to-us-senate-foreign-relations-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WikiLeaks: The war had \u201cnot been clean\u201d Gota to US Senate Foreign Relations staff - 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