Political Column

Political Column

President avoids Bauer after Solheim clash
By Our Political Editor

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera receives Norway's new peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer in Colombo. AFP

One of the vagaries of being a Head of State or Head of Government is that you don't always decide on your day-to-day programmes.
It is no different for President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has held office for just over four months as Sri Lanka's fifth executive head. Whilst campaigning in the south last month for the local polls that ended with a public endorsement of his leadership, he was forced to cut short his stay. Tiger guerrillas had destroyed a Dvora fast attack craft of the Sri Lanka Navy. He returned to Colombo for crisis meetings with defence and security top brass.

Paradoxical enough, Tiger guerrillas were again responsible for a change in his programme. At first, violent incidents they triggered off led to a late departure to his residence, 'Carlton', in Tangalle for Avurudu festivities. There were many chores to attend to. Then, upon his return to Colombo, he was due to have a short holiday in Nuwara Eliya. He was forced to call it off, again due to violent incidents triggered off by the guerrillas. This was different from his predecessor who cared two hoots. If she had to go on vacation to the United Kingdom, she just went. Instead it was first lady Shiranthi and family members who went to Nuwara Eliya.

Before boarding a helicopter to travel to Tangalle, President Rajapaksa was busy with urgent chores. He looked for Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. He was told that he was in Singapore. He asked aides to immediately put through a call to him. "Tell the international community about what the LTTE is doing," he told Samaraweera. The latter suggested that President Rajapaksa speaks to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well. This he did, winning Premier Singh's re-assurance to be of help to Sri Lanka if her sovereignty or territorial integrity was endangered.

It was both Avurudu and Good Friday on April 14 when Samaraweera was trying to get in touch with Nicholas Burns, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. It turned out he was not in office and was away from Washington, it being the Good Friday-Easter weekend in the US. Hours later, Burns called Samaraweera at his hotel in Singapore. The US Government official was briefed on attempts by the LTTE to escalate violence. Burns assured his Government's fullest support to Sri Lanka.
Samaraweera followed up with calls to European Commissioner Ferro Waldner and Japan's special envoy for the peace process, Yasushi Akashi. Both praised the Government's restraint in the face of mounting violence. Then, Samaraweera cut short his holiday in Singapore and returned to Colombo. President Rajapaksa had returned to Colombo too. On April 16 he sat down for a meeting with defence and security forces top brass to assess the security situation.

By then he had received a letter from Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim. It had taken exception to statements issued by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) that were critical of Norway's role as a peace broker. Added to that were reportedly incisory remarks the JVP and JHU leaders were making against Norway. Solheim expressed the view that these posed security threats to Norwegian officials including embassy staff in Colombo. The Sunday Times learnt President Rajapaksa was not pleased with the tone and content of the Solheim letter. This is despite Mr. Solheim's assertion that he had also written to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran raising issues related to the LTTE and emphasising the need to be fully supportive of the peace process. The President asked his Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga to reply to Solheim.

By then, Solheim had also telephoned President Rajapaksa. This time he was raising not only issues over remarks made by the JVP and the JHU. He was also referring to comments made by Foreign Minister Samaraweera to a daily newspaper. Such comments, it was argued, were critical of Norway. The President was unaware of the matter and promised to look into it. He suggested that Solheim call again so he could respond to the issue.

When the next call arrived from Solheim, President Rajapaksa was in fact in the company of Foreign Minister Samaraweera. Only a while earlier the President had asked Samaraweera whether he had made any damaging remarks about Norway, only to be told there was no such thing. Hence, when the call arrived, Rajapaksa spoke with Solheim and handed over the receiver to Samaraweera to continue the conversation.

When Solheim raised issue over some remarks made by Samaraweera on the newspaper interview, the latter held his ground. As Foreign Minister, he told Solheim, he was answerable to the people of Sri Lanka. Hence he had only told the newspaper in question what was in the national interest. Samaraweera was irked when Solheim tried to suggest that it could have been put differently. He even spelt out how that could have been done. Samaraweera was to respond that he knew how to handle matters and need not be tutored. After the phone call ended, Samaraweera continued his conversation with President Rajapaksa.

That led to the President asking Samaraweera to reply Solheim's letter and thus take the burden off Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga.
It is against this backdrop that visiting Norwegian Special Envoy Hanssen Bauer did not receive an appointment to meet President Rajapaksa. An aide said that the President had a busy schedule. Norwegian officials were advised to arrange for a meeting with Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. However, the latter was away in China and Bauer seems to have gone and complained to someone. US Ambassador Jeff Lunstead called Presidential Secretary Weeratunga and made a request for the President to see Bauer.

Even this did not materialise, and Bauer ended up meeting only Foreign Minister Samaraweera. The Foreign Minister, who turned 50 this week, gave Bauer a brief on the Government's commitment to continue with talks in Geneva despite the increase in violent incidents.
Amidst these developments, the newly appointed Secretary General of the Government's Peace Secretariat, ex UN diplomat Palitha Kohona had ruffled feathers with his over eagerness for publicity. Hardly a day passed in the past several days without television, radio or newspapers quoting Kohona over matters relating to the peace process, some of them questionably contravening Government policy. This was in total contrast to his predecessors who remained silent allowing official Government statements to take precedence.

The first to raise issue with President Rajapaksa was the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. They said some of the remarks made by Kohona were hasty and ran completely counter to the Mahinda Chinthanaya. They said it was time to advise him to act with restraint and responsibility instead of abusing his official position. President Rajapaksa made no comment. However, official sources said Kohona was cautioned over the matter. Concerns regarding Kohona's role had also disturbed officials at the Presidential Secretariat. Some hinted that he was posturing for an overseas diplomatic posting or a prime slot in the Foreign Ministry and was building a profile for himself through media appearances. Already he seemed to have elevated himself to cabinet status with an official cabinet-level un-marked vehicle and bodyguards.

In the meantime, President Rajapaksa held a meeting with the members of the Sri Lanka delegation to the peace talks. All those who took part in the talks in Geneva in February were to go. There was going to be an addition. Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had made a case for his inclusion but this was shot down by President Rajapaksa. He said it would be good if he did not leave.

There was uproarious laughter when the delegation leader, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva made an interesting suggestion. He said the best way to expose the LTTE would be for the Sri Lanka delegation to go to Geneva. From there, they should let the whole world know that they had arrived for talks but not the LTTE. That was better than saying it from Colombo, declared de Silva. Like his delegation colleagues, de Silva cannot be blamed. After all they had drawn their allowances and packed their bags. What better thing to do than go to Geneva and condemn the LTTE. The question is whether there would be anyone to listen to them, except of course, the government's media persons who, knowing that the April 19 dates were off for a certainty, still went to Geneva at the expense of the public's purse to enjoy the coming of spring in Europe.

In the wake of a Central Committee meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party this week, there was widespread speculation that President Rajapaksa would dissolve Parliament and go for a snap parliamentary poll in June. Supporting such speculation were reported remarks by astrologers that Rajapaksa's stars stood very good till June. In order to contest such a poll, it was claimed that he would forge an alliance with the Ceylon Worker’s Congress, Up Country People's Front and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, together with a large breakaway faction of the United National Party.

But President Rajapaksa told JVP members that this was nothing more than just idle talk. He said he would consult all parties friendly with the Government if he ever decides to go for a snap poll.

There were also some amusing moments when SLFP Central Committee members learnt of recent remarks made by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Shopping for Avurudu at a store in London, she had run into a group of Sri Lankans. She appeared to have a new hairstyle and was attired informally. When she was recognised, Kumaratunga asked a Sri Lankan "are you working here." He said "no I have come here on a visit."

Then she remarked in Sinhala "Ehey Inney Mala Yakku" (Those living there are damned devils ). And to think that some Sri Lankans think they have succeeded in exorcising an evil spirit.

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