Cablegate: Commander, Special Operation Command

R 200407Z MAY 97
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5734
INFO JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
COMSOCPAC HONOLULU HI//SOJOO//
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//JOO/JOL/J3/J4/J5/FPA//
SECDEF WASHDC//USDP:ISA-AP/SOLIC//
CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 001339

DEPARTMENT FOR PM, BCLTV, EAP, CB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MASS MARR MOPS CB

SUBJECT: COMMANDER, SPECIAL OPERATION COMMAND
PACIFIC'S MEETINGS WITH CO-DEFENSE MINISTERS AND
GENERAL STAFF.

1. SUMMARY. ON MAY 3, 1997, VISITING MAJOR GENERAL
CHARLES HOLLAND, COMMANDER, SPECIAL OPERATIONS
COMMAND PACIFIC, HAD SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH
THE CO-MINISTERS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AND THE DEPUTY
CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, LTG MEAS SOPHEA,
REAFFIRMING THE MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP
AND EMPHASIZING U.S. CONCERNS ABOUT THE NEUTRALITY
AND PROFESSIONAL ROLE OF THE CAMBODIAN MILITARY IN
THE WAKE OF RECENT POLITICAL TENSIONS. THE CO-
MINISTERS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE EXPRESSED THE STRONG
DESIRE OF THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP TO KEEP THE
MILITARY NEUTRAL, RECOUNTED THE IMPORTANCE OF U.S.
MILITARY SUPPORT AND TRAINING AND PLEDGED TO
CONTINUE COOPERATION ON FORCE PROTECTION ISSUES.
LTG MEAS SOPHEA, THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE GENERAL
STAFF, EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR U.S. MILITARY
SUPPORT, AND NOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF FORCE
PROTECTION TO THE RCAF. LTG MEAS SOPHEA RECOUNTED
EFFORTS TO KEEP THE MILITARY NEUTRAL AND NOTED THAT
THE POLITICIANS SHOULD SETTLE THEIR DIFFERENCES
PEACEFULLY. LTG MEAS SOPHEA SAID THAT EVEN THOUGH
THE HARD-LINE KHMER ROUGE PROBLEM HAD BEEN AFFECTED
NEGATIVELY BY POLITICAL TENSIONS, THE KHMER ROUGE
PROBLEM WOULD END BY NEXT YEAR.

--MEETING WITH CO-MINISTERS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE--

2. ON MAY 3, 1997, MAJ GEN CHARLES HOLLAND,
COMMANDER, SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND PACIFIC,
ACCOMPANIED BY THE DEFENSE ATTACHE, MET WITH CO-
MINISTERS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE ((TEA)) BANH (CPP) AND
((TEA)) CHAMRATH (FUNCINPEC). AFTER AN EXCHANGE OF
GREETINGS, MAJ GEN HOLLAND RECOUNTED HIS EARLIER
DISCUSSIONS THE PREVIOUS EVENING AT THE DATT'S
RESIDENCE WITH EK SEREYWATH, THE STATE SECRETARY OF
NATIONAL DEFENSE. MAJ GEN HOLLAND NOTED IT WAS MOST
ENCOURAGING THAT EK SEREYWATH STATED THAT 'THE
CONFRONTATION' WOULD BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY. MAJ
GEN HOLLAND SAID HE WOULD CARRY THESE COMMENTS BACK
TO USCINCPAC AND EMPHASIZED THAT IT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT FOR THE CONTINUED BI-LATERAL RELATIONSHIP
THAT POLITICAL DIFFERENCES BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY
AND WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE MILITARY.

3. MAJ GEN HOLLAND SAID THAT USCINCPAC INITIATIVES
IN CAMBODIA OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS HAD BEEN
BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH THE RCAF AND U.S. MILITARY
PERSONNEL DEPLOYED FOR DEMINING, MEDICAL AND
ENGINEERING TRAINING AND EXERCISES. MAJ GEN HOLLAND
EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE CAMBODIAN MILITARY'S
POSITIVE ASSISTANCE WITH FORCE PROTECTION WHICH WAS
A CONTINUING CONCERN FOR USCINCPAC. HE NOTED THAT
ONE FORCE PROTECTION INCIDENT INVOLVING U.S. FORCES
WOULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS REEVALUATION OF CONTINUED
DEPLOYMENTS TO CAMBODIA AND URGED CONTINUED CLOSE
COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE ON THIS ISSUE. HE SAID
THAT SOCPAC AND DEPLOYED SPECIAL FORCES PERSONNEL
FELT GOOD ABOUT THE SUPPORT AND COOPERATION WITH THE
RCAF AND THAT SOCPAC WOULD PROVIDE AS MUCH SUPPORT
AS POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING RCAF SKILLS AND
PROFESSIONALISM.

4. CO-MINISTER TEA CHAMRATH EXPRESSED HIS THANKS TO
USCINCPAC FOR THE CONTINUING ASSISTANCE, AND
ESPECIALLY FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PROFESSIONAL
SKILLS TRAINING COURSES IN THE UNITED STATES (UNDER
IMET). HE NOTED THAT THE LAST TWO YEARS OF
ASSISTANCE IN DEMINING, HEALTH, AND ENGINEERING
TRAINING, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE KHMER
ROUGE DEFECTOR PROGRAM HAD BEEN OF GREAT ASSISTANCE
TO THE GOVERNMENT AND RCAF. REGARDING THE REMAINING
HARD-LINE KHMER ROUGE AT ANLONG VENG, TEA CHAMRATH
STATED THAT TA MOK AND POL POT WERE A SMALL PROBLEM
WHICH WOULD BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY. HE SAID THAT HE
AND TEA BANH VERY MUCH APPRECIATED THAT USCINCPAC
REMAINED INTERESTED AND COMMITTED TO ASSIST
CAMBODIA, NOTING THAT THEY COULD ALWAYS USE MORE
ASSISTANCE.

5. REFERRING TO FORCE PROTECTION, BOTH CO-MINISTERS
STATED THAT SECURITY OF U.S. PERSONNEL WAS ALSO
THEIR CONCERN, AND THEY WERE GRATEFUL THAT THE U.S.
PERSONNEL WERE SO WELL-DISCIPLINED AND GOOD
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES. TEA BANH
CONCLUDED BY EXPRESSING THANKS FOR THE MEDICAL AND
ENGINEERING SUPPORT AT THE CHAMKAR BEI EX-KHMER
ROUGE RESETTLEMENT CENTER AT PHNOM VOAR IN KAMPOT
PROVINCE AND SAID THE COOPERATION WITH THE U.S.
MILITARY WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO WORK
TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GOOD WORKS FOR THE CAMBODIAN
PEOPLE.

--MEETING AT THE GENERAL STAFF--

6. EARLIER ON 3 MAY LTG MEAS SOPHEA (CPP), THE
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, MET MAJ GEN HOLLAND ON BEHALF
OF LTG KE KIM YAN, THE CHIEF OF STAFF WHO WAS OUT OF
TOWN. MAJ GEN HOLLAND EXPRESSED GREETING FROM
ADMIRAL PRUEHER, CINCPAC, AND EXPRESSED APPRECIATION
FOR THE COOPERATION AND SUPPORT FROM THE RCAF DURING
U.S. TRAINING DEPLOYMENTS AND EMPHASIZED THE
CONCERNS ABOUT FORCE PROTECTION FOR U.S. FORCES
TRAINING IN CAMBODIA. MAJ GEN HOLLAND ALSO
EXPRESSED CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PROFESSIONAL
PRESENTATION BY THE CAMBODIAN PARTICIPANTS IN THE
1997 PACIFIC AREA ARMIES MANAGEMENT SEMINAR IN
HAWAII THE PREVIOUS MONTHS, NOTHING THAT MAJ GEN
KHEM SOPHOAN'S PRESENTATION ON THE RCAF WAS VERY
WELL RECEIVED BY THE CONFERENCE. RECOUNTING
USCINCPAC/SOCPAC HUMANITARIAN DEMINING SUPPORT, MAJ
GEN HOLLAND SAID THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM WAS AN
IMPORTANT BENCHMARK OF THE USG'S AND USCINCPAC'S
SUCCESS IN SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RCAF
AND HOPED THIS SUCCESS WOULD CONTINUE. LTG MEAS
SAID FORCE PROTECTION OF U.S. PERSONNEL WOULD
CONTINUE TO BE AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR THE RCAF WHO
ENJOYED THE BENEFITS OF U.S. MILITARY DEPLOYMENTS.

6. MAJ GEN HOLLAND NOTED THAT WHILE USCINCPAC HAD
PROVIDED A LOT OF SUPPORT AND TRAINING TO THE RCAF,
WASHINGTON WOULD REACT VERY NEGATIVELY TO THE RCAF'S
PARTICIPATION IN VIOLENCE. LTG MEAS SOPHEA
ACKNOWLEDGED THE RECENT POLITICAL TENSIONS AND SAID
FORTUNATELY THAT THERE HAD ONLY BEEN FIGHTING WITH
WORDS AND NOT WEAPONS. HE STATED THAT POLITICAL
TENSIONS HAD NEGATIVELY AFFECTED DRY SEASON
OPERATIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE HARD-LINE KHMER
ROUGE AT ANLONG VENG, AS WELL AS THE INVESTMENT
CLIMATE IN CAMBODIA. LTG MEAS STATED THAT WHILE THE
RCAF HAD DECLARED NEUTRALITY AND HAD TAKEN STEPS
INSURE THE TROOPS REMAIN UNDER CONTROL, IT WAS UP TO
THE POLITICIANS TO LIMIT THEIR FIGHTS TO RADIO AND
TELEVISION WITH NO WEAPONS. HE ADMITTED THAT,
UNFORTUNATELY, SOME SENIOR MILITARY OFFICERS WERE
STILL INFLUENCED STRONGLY BY THE POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP. HE SAID THE TWO POLITICAL PARTIES MUST
SOLVE THE ISSUES BETWEEN PEACEFULLY NOTING THAT
CAMBODIA WAS STILL A VERY YOUNG DEMOCRACY WITH MANY
PROBLEMS WHICH COULD ONLY BE RESOLVED STEP BY STEP.

7. IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SECURITY
SITUATION AND STATE OF THE RCAF, LTG MEAS SOPHEA
SAID THAT SINCE AUGUST 1996, 90 PERCENT OF THE KHMER
ROUGE HAD JOINED THE GOVERNMENT AND THERE WAS PEACE.
AT REMAINING KHMER ROUGE ENCLAVE AT ANLONG VENG
THERE WERE ONLY BETWEEN 1000-2000 FIGHTERS AND THAT
THE KHMER ROUGE RANK AND FILE WANTED TO STOP
FIGHTING. HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD HAD LITTLE
SUCCESS IN NEGOTIATING WITH POL POT AND TA MOK, BUT
HAD CONVINCED MANY FRONT LINE KHMER ROUGE SOLDIERS
TO DEFECT. HE SAID THE RCAF'S STRATEGY WAS TO
PROCEED STEP BY STEP, AVOID FIGHTING AND SLOWLY
WEAKEN THE KHMER ROUGE THROUGH AN ATTRITION OF
DEFECTORS. HE SAID THE KHMER ROUGE WERE
LOGISTICALLY WEAKENED AND THAT SPIRIT DE CORPS AND
MORALE AMONG THE RANK AND FILE WAS VERY LOW.
VILLAGES NO LONGER SUPPORTED THE KHMER ROUGE AND
THAT THE KR HAD RESORTED TO TERROR TACTICS AGAINST
THE POPULACE TO PREVENT DEFECTIONS. HE SAID THAT
THE KHMER ROUGE PROBLEM WOULD END BY NEXT YEAR.

8. COMMENTS. MAJ GEN HOLLAND'S VISIT FURTHER
ENHANCED THE GROWING BI-LATERAL MILITARY
RELATIONSHIP AND PROVIDED ANOTHER RECENT OPPORTUNITY
FOR A SENIOR U.S. MILITARY OFFICER TO EXPRESS
SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THE PROPER ROLE OF THE
MILITARY IN A DEMOCRACY. MAJ GEN HOLLAND'S COMMENTS
WERE WELL-RECEIVED FROM THE CO-MINISTERS AND LTG
MEAS SOHPEA, ALL OF WHOM UNDERSTAND THE CRITICAL
IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING POLITICAL TENSIONS FROM
ERUPTING INTO VIOLENCE. MAJ GEN HOLLAND'S VISIT
FOLLOWS THE MID-APRIL VISIT OF MAJOR GENERAL STEPHEN
SILVASY, THE DEPUTY COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY PACIFIC,
WHO ALSO DELIVERED A STRONG AND CLEAR MESSAGE OF HOW
RCAF INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE WOULD BE
VIEWED BY THE USG. THE LEADERSHIP OF THE MINISTRY
OF DEFENSE AND THE GENERAL STAFF CLEARLY UNDERSTAND
THE GREAT COSTS, BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY
TO THEMSELVES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO THE CONTINUED
DEVELOPMENT OF THE RCAF AND CAMBODIA, SHOULD THE
TENSIONS ERUPT INTO EXTRA-LEGAL VIOLENCE. EMBASSY
IS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF BOTH VISITS BY PACOM SENIOR
OFFICERS, WHOSE WORDS WERE RIGHT ON TARGET WITH OUR
TARGET AUDIENCE.

QUINN

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