![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/ranil-wick-colombotelegraph1.jpg\" "\\"DSD")
<\/a>Given this situation, the PM will have to consider carefully how additional steps toward us might affect his domestic political standing.<\/p><\/div>\n
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeak database. The cable classified as \u201cCONFIDENTIAL\u201d analyses Sri Lanka’s pro \u2013 US foreign policy under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The cable was written on May 29, 2003 by the US Ambassador to Colombo E. Ashley Wills.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Wills wrote \u201cIn the post-Iraq war environment, we think the Sri Lankan government will continue to want to draw closer to the U.S. The prime minister faces a very precarious cohabitation situation, however, with his party holding control of Parliament by only several seats. Given this situation, the PM will have to consider carefully how additional steps toward us might affect his domestic political standing. Too sharp a tilt toward the U.S. could potentially subject him to harsh criticism from the Opposition, which will reverberate to the prime minister’s disadvantage in press channels and among the leftist intellectual set.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNonetheless, with Sri Lanka facing a difficult peace process and needing help to constrain the unpredictable Tamil Tigers, we think the larger trend in the country provides sizable ballast for the PM’s pro- U.S. proclivities. (Note: In general, polls show that Sri Lankans of all ethnic groups view the U.S. in a very friendly way.) One key test of the prime minister’s chosen course is whether he uses UNGA to take on NAM and propose some sort of new grouping. If he does that, he would have consummated a dramatic shift in his country’s foreign policy orientation.\u201d placing an end comment to the cable Wills further wrote.<\/p>\n
Read the\u00a0cable below\u00a0for further details;<\/p>\n
Related news to this cable;<\/p>\n
WikiLeaks: \u201cRanil is a Yankee, like his uncle\u201d US cable\u00a0implies<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: GL a Pomme, Milinda a Yankee, US cable\u00a0contends<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: President Chandrika a Francophile, US cable\u00a0contends<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: Moragoda made a startling proposal to US against\u00a0NAM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WikiLeaks: Sri Lankan intelligentsia and print media are anti-US\u00a0biased<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":2651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,1,27],"tags":[1161,1595,1608,1559,1561,1603,1298,1609,1263],"class_list":["post-2649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-politics","category-news","category-wikileaks","tag-foreign-affairs","tag-nam","tag-prime-minister-ranil-wickremesinghe","tag-pro-u-s-foreign-policy","tag-sri-lankan-foreign-policy","tag-sri-lankan-media-and-intelligentsia","tag-sri-lankans-in-wikileaks","tag-unga","tag-us-embassy-cables-on-sri-lanka"],"yoast_head":"\nC O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 000909\n\nSIPDIS\n\nDEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA\/INS, S\/P, IO, INR\/NESA; NSC FOR E.\nMILLARD\n\nLONDON FOR POL\/RIEDEL\n\nE.O. 12958: DECL: 05-29-13\nTAGS: PREL<\/a> PGOV<\/a> PINR<\/a> CE<\/a> UN<\/a>\nSUBJECT: Sri Lanka's foreign policy: Prime Minister\ntilts toward U.S., but faces resistance\n\nRefs: Colombo 873, and previous\n\n(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills.\nReasons: 1.5 (b,d).\n\n\u00b6<\/a>1. (C) SUMMARY: Since coming to power, PM Wickremesinghe\nhas taken steps to steer Sri Lankan foreign policy\ncloser to the U.S. In doing this, he has had successes,\nincluding the signing of an ICC waiver with the U.S. and\nin regard to Iraq where the GSL steered a constructive\ncourse. Moreover, one of his key ministers recently\nproposed that the GSL take the lead in forming some sort\nof counterweight to NAM. That said, the PM's initiative\nhas faced stiff resistance from MFA bureaucrats. In\naddition, the president and Opposition, backed by much\nof the press and the intelligentsia, have cut into his\nroom for maneuver via their generally anti-U.S. biases.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>2. (C) In the post-Iraq war environment, we think the\nGSL will continue to want to draw closer to the U.S.\nWith the PM facing a precarious cohabitation situation,\nhowever, additional steps toward the USG will have to be\ncarefully plotted out. Nonetheless, with Sri Lanka\nfacing a difficult peace process and needing help to\nconstrain the Tamil Tigers, we think the larger trend in\nthe country provides ballast for the PM's pro-U.S.\nproclivities. END SUMMARY.\n\n--------------------\nPM tilts toward U.S.\n--------------------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>3. (C) Since coming to power in late 2001, Prime\nMinister Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken steps to steer\nSri Lankan foreign policy closer to the U.S.\nWickremesinghe's pro-U.S. views have been long-standing\nand are in part a function of family connections. His\nuncle, J.R. Jayewardene, for example, was Sri Lanka's\npresident from the late 1970s through the late 1980s,\nand maintained very close links with the U.S.\n(Note: In fact, Jayewardene was called \"Yankee Dickey\"\nby leftists for years.) Moreover, Wickremesinghe, who\ncomes from a very wealthy business family, is a strong\nadvocate of free enterprise and strongly opposed to the\ndisastrous socialist policies of former governments.\nWickremesinghe is also surprisingly knowledgeable about\nU.S. history and politics; he is an avid reader about\nthe American Civil War, U.S. military history, and U.S.\nlegislation. The prime minister's pro-U.S. views also\nemerge out of his political calculus that Sri Lanka\nneeds the support of the international community,\nespecially the U.S., to constrain the Tamil Tigers.\nWith the peace process his government's number one\npriority bar none, the prime minister has worked hard to\nsecure U.S. support for his efforts in this area from\nvery early on in his tenure.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>4. (C) In pursuing this pro-U.S. course, Wickremesinghe\nhas been supported by two dynamic advisers, Minister of\nConstitutional Affairs G.L. Peiris and Minister of\nEconomic Reform Milinda Moragoda. (Note: Beyond their\nofficial titles, both Peiris and Moragoda play key roles\nas peace process negotiators and policy formulators for\nthe GSL.) In general, the Oxford-educated Peiris' focus\nhas been more on cultivating ties with former colonial\npower Britain and other Commonwealth countries, but he\nis very pro-U.S. and often visits Washington. More than\nPeiris', Moragoda's direct focus has been on cultivating\nrelations with the U.S. and with India. Re the U.S.,\nthe intelligent, articulate Moragoda is a perfect fit.\nBorn in Washington, D.C, he is a dual national Amcit\n(please protect) married to an American, with plenty of\nWashington connections, many from his days as a visiting\nfellow at the Heritage Foundation and at Harvard. A\n\"big picture\" person, Moragoda is also highly aware that\nthe U.S. is the most powerful country in the world, and\nhe feels that it is better that Sri Lanka recognize that\nfact and work within it.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>5. (C) (((Note: Of late, the duo of Peiris and\nMoragoda have been joined by a new pro-U.S. player: In\njust several months on the job, Ambassador Devinda\nSubasinghe, a U.S.-educated financier and close friend\nof the PM, has already made a mark in Washington.)))\n\n------------------------------------\nPro-U.S. Policy reaps some Successes\n------------------------------------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>6. (C) In moving forward on a pro-U.S. agenda, the PM\nhas had some notable successes. Last November, for\nexample, he overruled the recalcitrant Ministry of\nForeign Affairs (see more below re the MFA) and had the\nGSL sign an Article 98 waiver to the International\nCriminal Court (ICC) agreement with the U.S. While this\nagreement did not receive much local publicity, the move\nplaced Sri Lanka squarely in the U.S. camp on an issue\nof high importance to us. In another sign of a pro-U.S.\ntilt, the PM directed the MFA to take a relatively\nmoderate posture regarding Operation Iraqi Freedom,\ndespite strong anti-U.S., anti-war currents in Sri\nLanka's polity, including from the large Muslim\npopulation (see Reftels). Although the government's\nstatement was not all we would have wanted, it was\nrelatively constructive, with the prime minister going\nso far as to ask us for comments re the draft.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>7. (C) More recently, Minister Moragoda made a\nstartling proposal to U.S. officials. In discussions in\nWashington, Moragoda stated that the GSL was interested\nin forming some sort of group that would counter the\nNon-Aligned Movement (NAM) block of countries. Moragoda\nwas a bit vague about his idea. He indicated, however,\nthat the GSL -- although a charter member of the group\nsince its formation decades ago -- felt that the NAM was\ntoo strident and too anti-U.S., and that greater\npracticality was now called for. The way forward is\nstill being worked on, but once the idea is fleshed out\nfurther, the current thinking is that PM Wickremesinghe\nmight announce some sort of formal proposal re a new\ngrouping at the UN General Assembly this September.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>8. (C) (((Note: Aside from the ICC, Iraq, and\nMoragoda's proposal, the government has also made an\neffort to draw closer to the U.S. in economic\/commercial\nand defense-related areas. The GSL, for example, inked\na Trade and Investment Agreement, \"TIFA,\" with the U.S.\nlast year. On the defense side, the government has\nconsistently supported U.S. military operations with\nblanket overflight and landing clearances as well as\naccess to ports. As the peace process continues, the\nmilitary has also begun to look toward increasing\nparticipation in United Nations peacekeeping operations\nand accepting a larger role in assisting the U.S. in the\nglobal war on terror. Most recently, the government\neven has begun to explore ways of possibly assisting in\nIraqi reconstruction efforts. End Note.)))\n\n-------------------------------------\nResistance from MFA, Opposition, etc.\n-------------------------------------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>9. (C) The PM's tilt toward the U.S. has faced stiff\nresistance from bureaucrats in the MFA, who are wedded\nto NAM, \"G-77\"-type thinking. As mentioned above, for\nexample, the MFA fought tooth-and-nail against the\nproposed ICC waiver. Because of resistance at the\nworking level, signing of the agreement was delayed for\nseveral weeks, as MFA bureaucrats made various changes\nmeant to weaken the text. Mission, collaborating\nclosely with Moragoda and others at the political-level,\nfended off these attempts and the accord was eventually\nsigned. Re the government's statement re Iraq, it was\nalso clear to Mission that elements in the MFA wanted to\ntake a line that hewed much more closely to the French-\nGerman-Russian anti-U.S., pro-Saddam Hussein position.\n(Note: The MFA's deadening hand is also noticeable in\nUN voting. Despite strong USG efforts, for example, the\nGSL only abstained on the recent UNCHR vote re the\nCastro regime's atrocious human rights record.)\n\n\u00b6<\/a>10. (C) (((Note: Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando is\nactually quite friendly to the U.S. In fact, Fernando\nhas been one of those in the government who have told us\nthat Sri Lanka should separate itself more from NAM.\nFernando's effectiveness in communicating these views to\nhis ministry are hampered by the fact that he has been\nill with a serious heart condition and does not seem to\nbe a hands-on manager in any case. Moreover, while he\nhas not announced it officially, Fernando also makes no\nbones about the fact that he wants to be the next UN\nSecretary General after Kofi Annan's term is up. Due to\n\nSIPDIS\nthis latter factor, Fernando seems to go out of his way\nat times not to rock the boat and challenge the \"UN\nconsensus.\" End Note.)))\n\n\u00b6<\/a>11. (C) In addition to the entrenched bureaucracy in\nthe MFA, Wickremesinghe's tilt toward the U.S. has also\nencountered sharp resistance from the president, her\nPeople's Alliance (PA) party, and the radical Janantha\nVimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party. While she is not anti-\nU.S. per se, President Kumaratunga -- who shares a very\ntense cohabitation relationship with the PM -- is not\nparticularly friendly to our international positions on\nissues as diverse as Iraq, climate change, the ICC,\ngeneral North\/South affairs, etc. Kumaratunga's stance\nseems to be strongly influenced by the fact that her\nparents, who were both prime ministers, were advocates\nof NAM-type thinking on the international stage. The\npresident's Sorbonne education also appears to have\naffected her and she is quite pro-French. As could be\nexpected, the president's PA party basically mirrors her\nperspectives. As for the leftist JVP, the party has\nalways been strongly anti-U.S., accusing us routinely in\npublic of being the \"arch-imperialist. Given that an\nalliance between a large section of the PA with the JVP\nis set to be announced soon, there is little indication\nthat Opposition views of the U.S. will improve in the\nnear-term.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>12. (C) It is also the case that much of the\nintelligentsia in Sri Lanka and much of the press share\na general anti-U.S. bias. Intellectuals, such as they\nare in Sri Lanka, are mostly influenced by Marxism to a\nlarge extent with a fair amount having studied in the\nformer Soviet Union, and they routinely chatter against\nU.S. \"hegemony\" and \"world empire.\" In the meantime,\nSri Lanka's press -- both the English and vernacular --\ncontains a large amount of anti-U.S. commentary,\nincluding the ritual condemnations of our policy on Iraq\nand alleged excesses in the war on terrorism. The\ngovernment, including PM Wickremesinghe and especially\nMoragoda, also come under considerable heat for\nallegedly wanting to make Sri Lanka a U.S. \"lackey.\"\n(Note: While the newspapers have their decided biases,\nTV and radio in Sri Lanka are generally apolitical on\ninternational issues -- but not on domestic issues where\nthey tend to take sides.)\n\n-------\nCOMMENT\n-------\n\n\u00b6<\/a>13. (C) In the post-Iraq war environment, we think the\nSri Lankan government will continue to want to draw\ncloser to the U.S. The prime minister faces a very\nprecarious cohabitation situation, however, with his\nparty holding control of Parliament by only several\nseats. Given this situation, the PM will have to\nconsider carefully how additional steps toward us might\naffect his domestic political standing. Too sharp a\ntilt toward the U.S. could potentially subject him to\nharsh criticism from the Opposition, which will\nreverberate to the prime minister's disadvantage in\npress channels and among the leftist intellectual set.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>14. (C) Nonetheless, with Sri Lanka facing a difficult\npeace process and needing help to constrain the\nunpredictable Tamil Tigers, we think the larger trend in\nthe country provides sizable ballast for the PM's pro-\nU.S. proclivities. (Note: In general, polls show that\nSri Lankans of all ethnic groups view the U.S. in a very\nfriendly way.) One key test of the prime minister's\nchosen course is whether he uses UNGA to take on NAM and\npropose some sort of new grouping. If he does that, he\nwould have consummated a dramatic shift in his country's\nforeign policy orientation. END COMMENT.\n\n\u00b6<\/a>15. (U) Minimize considered.\n\nWILLS<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"