Cablegate: Gof Pessimistic On Sri Lanka Ceasefire

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DE RUEHHE #0783 2211214
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091214Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2275
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0091
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0079
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4631
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0335

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000783

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2016

TAGS: PREL CE EUN FI
SUBJECT: GOF PESSIMISTIC ON SRI LANKA CEASEFIRE

REF: STATE 128399

Classified By: Political Chief Gregory Thome, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

1. (C) Echoing reftel concerns about the escalating violence
in Sri Lanka, MFA Asia Department Deputy Director Rauli
Suikkanen, desk officer Marita Meranto, and EU secretariat
first secretary Niklas Lindqvist told Emboff Helsinki is
currently coordinating an EU demarche to be delivered this
week to the GOSL requesting they respect the ceasefire
agreement. Suikkanen noted that Sri Lanka had long
languished on the EU agenda but that recent events had nudged
the EU to consider a Council declaration along the same lines
as the August 3 statement by External Relations Commissioner
Ferraro-Waldner. He said that more action may be warranted
before the September experts' meeting in Tokyo.

2. (C) Suikkanen was particularly concerned by the
humanitarian situation, by the spread of violence to Colombo
and by the possibility it could spread to tourist
destinations. As a precaution Finland issued a travel
advisory for Sri Lanka last week. The officials reconfirmed
Finland's intention to withdraw their military monitors by
the end of the month because the LTTE no longer welcomed the
participation of EU member states in the mission. Additional
Norwegian and Icelandic monitors would be deployed in the
meantime, bringing the total number of monitors to about 30.
In the unlikely event that the GOSL and LTTE quickly return
to the terms of the ceasefire, the other Nordic monitors
could be redeployed. Suikkanen had no specifics but said
that Oslo was soliciting monitors from other countries. He
noted, however, that the ceasefire agreement would have to be
renegotiated if new parties joined the monitoring mission.

3. (SBU) The MFA officials pointed out that the EU presidency
is represented in Colombo by Germany. They welcomed
cooperation with the U.S. and requested information on
pertinent USG steps in Sri Lanka.
WARE

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