Top Sri Lankan officials are in Israel to further a major arms purchase by Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Defense Minister Thilak Marapana and naval commander Vice-Admiral Daya Sandagiri are here to buy new weapons control systems for the Dabur naval patrol boats it bought several years ago from Israel. The deal is said to be worth at least $20 million.
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During the visit, which began last week, the high-level guests, accompanied by an entourage of Sri Lankan military and civilian officials, are touring Israel Aircraft Industries and Israel Military Industries installations, the Rafael Armament Development Authority, as well as Elbit and El-Op, manufacturers specializing in electronic and electro-optic defense systems.
The visit, originally classified as top secret, was made public by the Sri Lanka Sunday Times. The paper also reported that the Israel visit was preceded by a top-level Israeli delegation to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo about two weeks ago, led by Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Ben-Hanan, head of the Defense Ministry's Foreign Defense and Assistance and Defense Export Division. Among the Israelis in Colombo were arms dealers Zvi Yosef and Moshe Stav, who have been deeply involved in recent years in weapons deals between Sri Lanka and Israel.
The Sunday Times said that the latest move toward an arms purchase by the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry points to a new government policy toward the Sri Lanka separatist movement, the Tamil Tigers. After a 17-month cease-fire with the rebels, the government has uncovered several attempts to smuggle arms by sea from neighboring India, and has decided to prepare for a renewal of fighting.
Responding to the charge that the visit of the Sri Lankan brass was to have been kept secret, delegation head Maj. Gen. Ben-Hanan said "the visit was not a secret. Its purpose was to strengthen security ties between the two countries, and to expand Israel's military export in all areas." Security sources stressed that no agreements have been signed and that negotiations would continue.
Israel and Sri Lanka have maintained security ties for some two decades. In addition to the Dabur patrol boats, Israel also sold Sri Lanka a number of Kfir fighter jets, manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries, most of which were blown up in a daring raid on a Colombo airport by Tamil separatists about two years ago
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