Cablegate: Vietnam - Burma's Need to Quicken the Pace of Dialogue

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

271102Z Apr 01

2001HANOI01010 - UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTO6348

PAGE 01 HANOI 01010 271118Z
ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 DINT-00
DOEE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00
FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00
L-00 VCE-00 MOFM-04 MOF-03 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00
OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00
P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00
T-00 USIE-00 SA-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02
G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /016W

FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2700
INFO ASEAN COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AMEMBASSY SEOUL
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA/J2/J5/J233//
JOINT STAFF WASHDC
JICPAC HONOLULU HI
SECDEF WASHDC
DIA WASHDC

UNCLASSIFIED

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UNCLAS HANOI 001010

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

USUN FOR PIPER CAMPBELL
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP, IO, DRL
SECDEF ALSO FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN
CINCPAC ALSO FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINR KDEM BM VM ASEAN
SUBJECT: VIETNAM - BURMA'S NEED TO QUICKEN THE PACE OF DIALOGUE

REF: STATE 69589

1. (SBU) SUMMARY. VIETNAM HAS RAISED THE DIALOGUE WITH
BURMA BEFORE, AND INTENDS TO DO SO AGAIN AT THE APRIL 30
ASEAN MINISTERIAL IN RANGOON, BUT "IN OUR OWN WAY." AN MFA
OFFICER PRAISED THE "SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS" THAT HAS BEEN
MADE IN THE TALKS ALREADY. OUR POINTS WILL BE PASSED TO FM
NIEN, HEADING THE VIETNAMESE DELEGATION TO RANGOON, AS WERE
SIMILAR POINTS MADE EARLIER BY A DELEGATION OF EU EMBASSIES
LED BY SWEDEN. END SUMMARY.

U.S. AND EU POINTS TO BE SHARED WITH FM NIEN
--------------------------------------------

2. (U) POLOFF PRESENTED REFTEL POINTS ON BURMA DIALOGUE TO
TRAN DUC BINH OF THE MFA ASEAN DEPARTMENT APRIL 27. BINH
WILL BE A MEMBER OF VIETNAM'S FIVE-PERSON DELEGATION TO THE
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HANOI 01010 271118Z
APRIL 30 RANGOON ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING. FM NGUYEN
DY NIEN WILL LEAD THE DELEGATION. BINH SAID THAT AN EU
DELEGATION LED BY THE SWEDISH AMBASSADOR HAD OFFERED SIMILAR
POINTS TO THE ASEAN DEPARTMENT TWO DAYS EARLIER. HE
PROMISED TO PASS OUR POINTS TO NIEN, AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY
PASSED ON THE EU'S POINTS.

RAISING THE DIALOGUE "IN OUR OWN WAY"
-------------------------------------

3. (SBU) ACCORDING TO BINH, VIETNAM WILL RAISE THE DIALOGUE
WITH THE BURMESE DURING THE APRIL 30 MINISTERIAL, BUT "IN
OUR OWN WAY." HE EXPLAINED THAT VIETNAM HAD ALREADY
EXPRESSED ITS INTEREST IN THE DIALOGUE, BUT IS LIMITED IN
WHAT IT CAN SAY BECAUSE OF VIETNAM'S AND ASEAN'S POLICIES OF
NON-INTERFERENCE INTO THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF OTHER
COUNTRIES.

VIETNAM SEES "SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS ALREADY"
-------------------------------------------

4. (SBU) BINH SAID THAT FROM VIETNAM'S PERSPECTIVE, THERE
HAS BEEN "SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS" IN THE TALKS ALREADY.
DURING LAST MONTH'S ASEAN MEETING IN HCMC, THE BURMESE
DELEGATION BRIEFED THE OTHER ATTENDEES ON THE DIALOGUE.
BINH NOTED THAT THE BURMESE DID NOT GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT THE
DIALOGUE AT THAT TIME BECAUSE "MANY OF THE DETAILS ARE BEING
KEPT SECRET." NEVERTHELESS, HE SAID, VIETNAM'S IMPRESSION
IS THAT "BOTH SIDES ARE SATISFIED THAT THERE HAS BEEN
PROGRESS." POLOFF REITERATED THAT OUR IMPRESSION, ON THE
CONTRARY, IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE PROGRESS OF LATE.
UNCLASSIFIED

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5. (SBU) BINH SAID THAT THE VIETNAMESE DELEGATION LOOKED
FORWARD TO SEEING THE SITUATION IN BURMA FIRST HAND, BUT
CAUTIONED THAT NIEN AND HIS DELEGATION WOULD BE THERE FOR
ONLY ONE DAY BEFORE RETURNING TO HANOI, WHERE NIEN WILL BE
RECEIVING PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF OF PAKISTAN. HE SAID THE
GROUP WOULD BE BRIEFED ON THE DIALOGUE. BINH REITERATED
VIETNAM'S SUPPORT OF THE DIALOGUE PROCESS.

COMMENT: ENCOURAGING THAT VIETNAM WOULD RAISE THE MATTER
--------------------------------------------- -----------

6. (SBU) COMMENT: IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT VIETNAM HAS RAISED
THE MATTER OF THE DIALOGUE WITH BURMA, AND WILL DO SO AGAIN,
IF ONLY "IN OUR OWN WAY." IT IS UNUSUAL FOR VIETNAM TO
RAISE SUCH MATTERS AT ALL WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY
ASEAN PARTNERS, IN LIGHT OF ITS OWN STEADFAST ADHERENCE TO A
POLICY OF "NON-INTERFERENCE IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS." END
COMMENT.

PETERSON

UNCLASSIFIED

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