WikiLeaks: Exchanging Arms With Human Rights; ‘Sri Lanka Totally Committed To Devolution’ – Gota And FM To US

January 2, 2014 

“The government of Sri Lanka (GSL) is committed to the political agenda of devolution, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Deputy Secretary Negroponte in a July 31 meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN.” US Embassy Manila (Philippines) informed Washington.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence

A classified diplomatic cable which details a meeting the US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte had with Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on July 31, 2007. The Colombo Telegraph found the related US diplomatic cable from the WikiLeaks database.

The US Embassy wrote; “The FM emphasized Sri Lanka’s intention to encourage a pluralist democratic government in the North, reviewed the military’s recent successes in the East, and committed to reducing civilian casualties in the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The FM expressed hope that the joint U.S.-Sri Lankan military exercises that were postponed last year would proceed this year, and raised concerns about the delay in the delivery of Bushmaster guns and ammunition. He also asked the Deputy Secretary to look into the possibility of another assessment of Sri Lanka’s eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funds. Finally, the FM emphasized that money collected by the LTTE from the Tamil Diaspora in the U.S. is allowing LTTE-sponsored violence to continue, and highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitment to human rights.”

Related stories to this cable;