NEWS ARTICLE ON US MILITARY AID TO SRI LANKA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000801030029-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 19, 2010
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: February 14, 1984
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030029-9
PAGE 001
TOR: 1403412 FEB 84
CO RUEAIIE
ZN" CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH
00 RUE-HC RUMJGM RUEHNE RUMJDK RUEHIL RUMJHT
DE RJEH:O,4112 0450332
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
0 140112Z FEB 84
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUMJGM/AMEMBASSv' COLOM30 IMMEDIATE 0919
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 6300
INFO RUMJDK/AMEMBASSY DHAKA IMMEDIATE 5034
PUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4479
RUMJHT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU IMMEDIATE 5949
BT
C 0N F i B E N T i A 6
e~"~ P11d. ~ >c I C1 ~ i~ t "E" t A ~
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: MASS, PREL, CE, IN, US
SUBJECT: NEWS ARTICLE ON US MILITARY AID TO SRI LANKA
1. REFTEL REPORTED THAT CONGRESSMAN JOSEPH ADDABBO SPOKE
WITH A JOURNALIST IN WASHINGTON ABOUT U.S. SECURITY
ASSISTANCE TO SRI LANKA, REPEATING SOME STATEMENTS MADE
BY THE CONGRESSMAN TO A JOURNALIST IN SRI LANKA IN
JANUARY AND REPORTED IN THE PRESS THERE. THIS MESSAGE
PROVIDES THE COMPLETE TEXT OF AN ARTICLE IN THE U.S. -
PUBLICATION "ASIAN MONITOR" ABOUT THE CONGRESSMAN'S
STATEMENTS HERE. SEPTEL PROVIDES BACKGROUND AND PRESS
GUIDANCE ON ISSUES RAISED IN THE CONGRESSMAN'S STATEMENTS.
PUBLICATION "ASIAN MONITOR", WEEKLY, NEW YORK CITY,
U.S. MAIL DISTRIBUTION, ISSUE OF FEBRUARY 10, PAGE 6.
ARTICLE TITLED "REQUEST FOR ARMS AID CONFIRMED", REPORTER
AZIZ HANIFFA. BEGIN TEXT:
- WASHINGTON - REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPH ADDABBO CONFIRMED
LAST WEEK A REPORT IN THE SUN, A COLOMBO NEWSPAPER, THAT
HE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
IMMEDIATELY RELEASE $350,000 IN MILITARY FUNDS TO SRI
LANKA (A.M. JAN 27).
- ADDABBO, CHAIRMAN OF THE DEFENSE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE WHO RECENTLY LED A
DELEGATION OF FIVE CONGRESSMEN ON A VISIT TO SRI LANKA,
SAID THE FUNDS WOULD BE ALLOCATED BY THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE AND NOT BY THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
- ADDABBO TOLD ASIAN MONITOR THAT THE FUNDS ALLOCATED TC
SR; LANKA WOULD BE $200.000 FOR FISCAL 1984 AND A FURTHER
UNUSED $150,000 THAT SRI LANKA WAS ENTITLED TC UNDER THE
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY ANC EDUCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM.
- ASKED WHY SRI LANKA NEEDEC THESE FUNCS SO URGENTLY,
ADDAEEC SAID HE HAD BEEN INFORMED BY FOREIGN MINISTER
A.C. SHAHOL HAMEED AND GEN. SEPALA ATTYGALLE. SECRETARY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030029-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90B01370R000801030029-9
CONFIDENTIAL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
84 3366815 SCO PAGE 002 NC 3366815
TOR: 140341Z FEB 84
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO THE DEFENSE MINISTER. THAT THE MONEY WAS ESSENTIAL TO
PROTECT SRI LANKA AGAINST EXTERNAL ASSAULTS AND FOR ITS
INTERNAL SECURITY.
- (FISHING PATROLS) "ALSO," THE CONGRESSMAN SAID, "THEY
STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH FUNDING FOR ARMED PATROLS
TO PROTECT SRI LANKA'S FISHING INDUSTRY AGAINST POACHING
IN ITS TERRITORIAL WATERS."
- HOWEVER, HE DECLINED TO SPECIFY WHEN ASKED WHAT THE
EXTERNAL ASSAULTS MIGHT BE AND WHETHER THE SRI LANKAN
GOVERNMENT ENVISAGED ANY PARTICULAR THREAT TO ITS
SECURITY.
- HE SAID HE WOULD PUSH FOR COLOMBO'S REQUEST FOR A
NAVAL VESSEL AND MODERN TRAINING FOR SRI LANKAN
PERSONNEL. "UNDER AN OLD FOREIGN MILITARY SALES
AGREEMENT, THERE IS ABOUT $2 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR SRI
LANKA FOR A SHIP, AND I AM SURE WE CAN FIND SOMETHING,"
HE SAID.
- (PEACE CORP UNIT DUE) ADDABBO SAID THE U.S. WOULD
SOON ESTABLISH A 30-TO-40-PERSON PEACE CORPS UNIT IN SRI
LANKA. HE SAID SUCH A UNIT HAD BEEN REQUESTED BY
PRESIDENT JUNIUS JAYAWARDENE TO HELP IN THE TEACHING OF
ENGLISH IN STATE-RUN SCHOOLS, AND ADDED THAT ONE GROUP
HAD ALREADY BEEN SWORN IN LAST MONTH.
- HE CALLED HIS DELEGATION'S VISIT TO SRI LANKA
ESSENTIALLY A GOODWILL VISIT TO CEMENT THE EXCELLENT
RELATIONS WASHINGTON HAS WITH COLOMBO, WHICH HE CALLED "A
CLOSE FRIEND AND ALLY."
- HE SAID THE DELEGATION HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT THE CAUSES
OF THE ETHNIC RIOTS LAST JULY THAT LEFT ALMOST 400 PEOPLE
DEAD AND 70,000 HOMELESS. HE SAID THE DELEGATION HAD
BEEN ASSURED IT WAS NOT A CONTINUAL PROBLEM AND THAT THE
GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN THE NECESSARY STEPS TO AVERT A
REPETITION.
- "WE ARE ASSURED THAT DEMOCRACY IS ALIVE AND WELL IN
SRI LANKA." ADDABBO SAID WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON INDIAN
PRIME MINISTER INDIRA GANDHI'S RECENT EXPRESSION OF
SERIOUS CONCERN FOR DEMOCRACY IN SRI LANKA.
- ADDABBO'S DELEGATION MET GANDHI JUST AFTER THE
VIOLENCE OF JULY. "SHE WAS EXPRESSING HER CONCERN OVER
THE ETHNIC PROBLEMS," HE SAID, BUT POINTED OUT THAT IT
WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SURVIVE AND THE UNITY
OF SRI LANKA BE MAINTAINED."
END TEXT. SHULTZ
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90B01370R000801030029-9