Cablegate: Malaysian Intentions for the London Conference

VZCZCXRO7523
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0055 0260107
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260107Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3725
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2905
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0130
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0703
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000055

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

FOR EAP/MTS, S/SRAP FOR JARRETT BLANC, AND SCA/A FOR TOM
GRAMAGLIA AND CAROLYN COBERLY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EFIN AF MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIAN INTENTIONS FOR THE LONDON CONFERENCE

REF: STATE 6355 -- OUTREACH ON LONDON CONFERENCE

(SBU) Poloff discussed talking points (reftel) with Mr. Mohd
Hussain Abu Bakr, Principal Assistant Secretary in the MFA's
South and Central Asia Division, on January 25. According to
Hussain, Malaysia would be represented by Foreign Minister
Anifah Aman at the London conference. Hussain commented that
Malaysia "is willing to continue its current program" of
supporting Afghanistan by providing training to its civil
servants, specifically in the fields of IT, education, public
and civil service administration, and diplomacy. Hussain did
not indicate to Poloff any intent by the GOM to increase its
current assistance or to conduct any of its training in
Afghanistan, policy options which senior officials in the
Ministry of Defense and at the Malaysian Embassy in
Washington have been indicating are under active GOM
consideration. This past week, Ministry of Defense contacts
told DAO that the GOM plans to send defense officials to
Afghanistan to review and conduct reconnaissance on
appropriate GOM assistance to Afghanistan, but did not
mention a specific time line for dispatching this team.
(Comment: We find it somewhat troubling that the MFA action
officer for Afghanistan is seemingly unaware of any recent
discussions about Malaysia ramping up its assistance to
Afghanistan, but this could possibly be explained by the fact
that most of these conversations have been conducted outside
MFA channels. Post recommends a senior-level pull-aside with
FM Anifah and his team in London to confirm Malaysia's
intentions on the assistance front. End Comment.)
KEITH

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