Cablegate: Gvn Views 35th Asean Ministerial Meeting As "Very

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

091045Z Aug 02

2002HANOI01990 - UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTO6776

PAGE 01 HANOI 01990 01 OF 02 091047Z
ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AIT-03 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DOTE-00
DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00
INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 PM-00 SCT-00
TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00
SAS-00 /007W
------------------D6F6E7 091048Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7255
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
ASEAN COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AIT TAIPEI 0699
NSC WASHDC
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA//
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ABLAGG//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001990

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR PINR PTER VM ARF ASEAN CTERR
SUBJECT: GVN VIEWS 35TH ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING AS "VERY
-- SUCCESSFUL"

REF: A. STATE 150391 B. HANOI 01382

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HANOI 01990 01 OF 02 091047Z

1. (U) SUMMARY: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICIALS
CHARACTERIZED THE 35TH ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BRUNEI
AS "VERY SUCCESSFUL." HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED THE SIGNING OF A
JOINT DECLARATION ON COUNTER TERRORISM BETWEEN ASEAN AND THE
U.S., A POSITIVE MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTER NGUYEN DY
NIEN AND SECRETARY POWELL, LIMITED PROGRESS TOWARDS ADOPTING
A DECLARATION ON THE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE SOUTH CHINA
SEA, AND CONSENSUS ON ECONOMIC/DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. END
SUMMARY

--------------------------------------------- ------------
COUNTERTERRORISM DECLARATION "MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT"
--------------------------------------------- ------------

2. (U) POLOFFS OBTAINED READOUT OF THE 35TH ASEAN
MINISTERIAL MEETING FROM MFA ASEAN DEPARTMENT DEPUTY
DIRECTOR GENERAL PHAM HUU CHI AND SENIOR EXPERT LE CHI DUNG
ON AUGUST 8. OVERALL, CHI SAID THE GVN VIEWED THE MEETING
AS "VERY SUCCESSFUL." ASEAN MEMBERS "WERE PLEASED TO SEE
THAT SECRETARY POWELL CAME TO THE MEETING WITH A "THICK
BOOK" OUTLINING US ONGOING PROJECTS IN ASIA, WHICH
DEMONSTRATED USG COMMITMENT TO THE REGION.

3. (U) CHI SPECIFICALLY POINTED TO THE ASEAN-U.S. JOINT
DECLARATION ON COUNTER TERRORISM, SIGNED AUGUST 1, AS THE
MEETING'S "MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT." CHI NOTED THAT,
REGARDING COUNTER TERRORISM, "ASEAN AND THE U.S. UNDERSTAND
EACH OTHER WELL AND THAT ASEAN IS DETERMINED TO WORK WITH
THE USG'S CONCERNS." CHI PREDICTED THAT NEXT MONTH'S ASEM
SUMMIT WOULD INCLUDE A SIMILAR, THOUGH "SOMEWHAT WEAKER,"
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PAGE 03 HANOI 01990 01 OF 02 091047Z
DECLARATION. CHI SAID IT WAS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE PARTIES
REACHED A CONSENSUS THREE DAYS BEFORE THE END OF THE
MEETING. TO EXPEDITE REACHING CONSENSUS, CERTAIN SPECIFICS
SUCH AS INTELLIGENCE SHARING WERE OMITTED FROM THE
DECLARATION BECAUSE SUCH ISSUES TOUCHED ON SOVEREIGNTY
CONCERNS AND WOULD HAVE REQUIRED CONSULTATIONS WITH HOME
MINISTRIES. CHI DOWNPLAYED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH
OMISSIONS, HOWEVER, NOTING THAT HE "EXPECTS SUCH COOPERATION
WILL OCCUR."

------------------------------
"POSITIVE" NIEN-POWELL MEETING
------------------------------

4. (U) CHI SAID THE FOREIGN MINISTER NIEN AND SECRETARY
POWELL HELD A "VERY POSITIVE" 20-MINUTE MEETING ON JULY
31ST. CHI CHARACTERIZED THE MEETING AS "FORMAL, NOT PULL-
ASIDE." ACCORDING TO CHI, NIEN RAISED SEVERAL ISSUES,
INCLUDING BTA IMPLEMENTATION, PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE
JACKSON-VANIK WAIVER, AND SETTING UP OF "A PERMANENT
MECHANISM" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM FOR SETTLING ISSUES
SUCH AS CATFISH. CHI SAID SECRETARY POWELL TOLD NIEN HE
VIEWED THE CATFISH ISSUE AS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY; THE
SECRETARY DID NOT COMMENT ON THE OTHER ISSUES RAISED. NIEN

SIPDIS
ALSO MENTIONED TO THE SECRETARY THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA
FOR PRIME MINISTER KHAI TO MEET PRESIDENT BUSH AT THE APEC
MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THIS NOVEMBER IN MEXICO. CHI ALSO
REPORTED THAT SECRETARY POWELL TOLD NIEN THAT HE HOPED THEY
COULD MEET AGAIN IN NEW YORK AT THE UPCOMING 57TH UN GENERAL
ASSEMBLY.

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PAGE 04 HANOI 01990 01 OF 02 091047Z
--------------------------------------------- -------
CODE OF CONDUCT-PROGRESS BUT STILL A LONG ROAD AHEAD
--------------------------------------------- -------

5. (U) IN A MEETING WITH EMBOFFS LAST MAY (REFTEL B), CHI
EXPRESSED OPTIMISM THAT THE DECLARATION OF THE SOUTH CHINA
SEA CODE OF CONDUCT (COC) WOULD BE ADOPTED AT THE BRUNEI
MEETING. THIS DID NOT OCCUR. CHI SAID THERE IS STILL NOT A
CONSENSUS ON THE SCOPE. THE STICKING POINT IS THAT MALAYSIA
WANTS TO INCLUDE ONLY THE AREA AROUND THE SPRATLEY ISLANDS,
WHILE OTHER ASEAN MEMBERS (AND THE PRC) WANT TO INCLUDE ALL
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AREA. THAT SAID, CHI OPINED THAT THE
PRC IN PARTICULAR "WAS ANXIOUS TO SIGN A COC." CHI SAID
THAT ASEAN IS "WORKING TOWARDS A CONSENSUS" TO BREAK THE
DEADLOCK BY LEAVING THE SCOPE ISSUE OUT OF THE TEXT BUT
INCLUDE IT IN THE DOCUMENT'S TITLE. ACCORDING TO PRESS
REPORTS, MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM DISAGREED OVER THE TITLE, AS
WELL, THOUGH VIETNAM EVENTUALLY RELENTED. ACCORDING TO CHI
AND PRESS REPORTS, THE DECLARATION'S WORDING (ORIGINALLY
DRAFTED BY THE PHILIPPINES) WILL BE "REFINED" OVER THE NEXT
FEW MONTHS AND THEN SIGNED AT THE ASEAN SUMMIT THAT WILL BE
HELD THIS NOVEMBER IN CAMBODIA. CHI POINTED OUT, HOWEVER,

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ1109

PAGE 01 HANOI 01990 02 OF 02 091048Z
ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AIT-03 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DOTE-00 DS-00
EB-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00
LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 PM-00 SCT-00 IRM-00 TEST-00
USIE-00 ASDS-01 IIP-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00
SAS-00 /007W
------------------D6F6ED 091048Z /38
R 091045Z AUG 02
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7256
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
ASEAN COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AIT TAIPEI 0700
NSC WASHDC
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA//
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ABLAGG//

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001990

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP

THAT THE DECLARATION IS ONLY AN INTERIM STEP AND THE FINAL
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PAGE 02 HANOI 01990 02 OF 02 091048Z
CODE OF CONDUCT IS UNLIKELY TO BE ADOPTED FOR "QUITE A FEW
YEARS."

------------------------------
PROGRESS ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT
------------------------------

6. (U) ACCORDING TO CHI, ASEAN MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS
REGARDING MEASURES TO NARROW THE DEVELOPMENT GAP AMONG THE
ASEAN MEMBERS AND TOWARDS THE FORMATION OF NEW (AND
SEPARATE) FREE TRADE AREAS (FTA) WITH, CHINA, JAPAN AND
SOUTH KOREA, RESPECTIVELY. SINGAPORE IN PARTICULAR WANTS TO
SEE AN ACCELERATED EFFORT TO DIMINISH THE DEVELOPMENT GAP,
AND "IS GROWING INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED BY THE SLOWER
DEVELOPMENT OF ASEAN'S NEWEST MEMBERS," ACCORDING TO CHI.
CHI COMMENTED THAT ASEAN AND THE PRC WERE "SLOWLY MOVING
FORWARD" ON THIS ISSUE AFTER WITNESSING THE SUCCESS OF NAFTA
AND THE EU. CHI WAS LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT AN FTA WITH
JAPAN. JAPAN STILL FAVORS BILATERAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC
PARTNERSHIPS RATHER THAN A MULTILATERAL FTA WITH ASEAN AS A
WHOLE.

------------------------
PROLIFERATION OF PLUSES
------------------------

7. (U) IN THE COMING MONTH'S ASEAN WILL LOOK TO EXPANDING
UPON THE SUCCESS OF ITS "+ 3" RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA, JAPAN
AND SOUTH KOREA BY PUSHING FOR THE ENHANCEMENT AND CREATION
OF NEWER "+" RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SIGNIFICANT PARTNERS.
CHI SAID HE "WAS PLEASED TO NOTE" THAT THERE WILL BE AN
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HANOI 01990 02 OF 02 091048Z
ASEAN + 1 MEETING WITH INDIA ON THE MARGINS OF THE UPCOMING
MEETING IN CAMBODIA THIS NOVEMBER. A SEPARATE, FIRST-EVER
"+ 1" MEETING IS SCHEDULED TO OCCUR EARLY NEXT YEAR WITH
AUSTRALIA. IN ADDITION TO THESE MEETINGS, ASEAN ALSO WOULD
LIKE TO DEVELOP A "+ 1" RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES.
CHI SUGGESTED THAT SUCH A MEETING COULD BE ATTEMPTED AS
EARLY AS THIS YEAR. VIETNAM BELIEVES THAT A ONE-DAY SUMMIT
ON THE MARGINS OF THE MEXICO APEC SUMMIT WOULD OFFER A GOOD
TEST FOR THIS IDEA.

--------------------------
PAST AND FUTURE LEADERSHIP
--------------------------

8. (U) CHI SAID BRUNEI HAD DONE A "GOOD JOB" OF HOSTING THE
CONFERENCE. CHI OPINED THAT CAMBODIA "SHOULD BE READY" TO
HOST THE NOVEMBER MEETING. HE NOTED THAT THE CAMBODIAN
GOVERNMENT HAS SENT DELEGATES TO HANOI AND BANDAR SERI
BEGAWAN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS IN AN EFFORT TO LEARN THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES AS HOSTS. CHI SAID THAT THIS PREPARATION
SHOULD PROVIDE FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION. PORTER

UNCLASSIFIED

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