US embassy cable - 01HANOI2812

UNCLAS HANOI 002812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, VM 
SUBJECT:  PARTY OFFICIAL OPTIMISTIC ON BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  A SENIOR COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) 
FOREIGN RELATIONS OFFICIAL, BUI THE GIANG, EMPHASIZED THE 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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POSITIVE IN THE US-VIETNAM BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP IN AN 
OCTOBER 24 COURTESY CALL WITH CHARGE.  HE PREDICTED THAT 
MORE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES WOULD PROVE EFFECTIVE IN 
OVERCOMING LINGERING TENSIONS AND BITTERNESS.  HE WARMLY 
THANKED CHARGE FOR THE EMBASSY'S USD 35,000 CONTRIBUTION TO 
THE VIETNAM RED CROSS' FLOOD RELIEF PROGRAM.  GIANG 
INDICATED THAT PASSAGE OF THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT WAS 
ONE OF TWO TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NEXT 
MONTH.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  BUI THE GIANG, DIRECTOR OF THE PEOPLE TO PEOPLE 
RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE CPV CENTRAL COMMITTEE'S 
COMMISSION FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS, MET WITH CHARGE DURING A 
COURTESY CALL AT CPV HEADQUARTERS.  HE DESCRIBED THE THREE 
DIMENSIONS OF VIETNAM'S FOREIGN RELATIONS AS STATE-TO-STATE, 
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE, AND PARTY-TO-PARTY, WITH THE MFA, THE 
VIETNAM UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE PARTY 
COMMISSION FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS RESPECTIVELY RESPONSIBLE. 
GIANG SAID THAT HE AND HIS STAFF OF EIGHT, AS 
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONLY PARTY, "ADVISE" AND COORDINATE 
THE ACTIVITIES OF PEOPLES' GROUPS IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH 
FOREIGN COUNTERPARTS.  ASIDE FROM HANDLING TRADITIONAL 
RELATIONS WITH OTHER COMMUNIST PARTIES, GIANG EXPLAINED WHEN 
ASKED, THAT THE CPV HAS RELATIONSHIPS WITH RULING PARTIES IN 
MANY COUNTRIES, CITING JAPAN'S LDP AND MALAYSIA'S UMNO AMONG 
OTHERS.  HE SAID THAT BOTH MAJOR U.S. PARTIES HAD DECLINED 
CPV INQUIRIES ABOUT OPENING RELATIONS ON THE GROUNDS THAT 
THEY DO NOT HAVE FORMAL RELATIONS WITH ANY OVERSEAS 
POLITICAL PARTIES. 
 
3.  (SBU)  WHEN ASKED ABOUT BTA RATIFICATION ISSUES, GIANG 
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ANSWERED THAT RATIFICATION "DEPENDED ON DEVELOPMENTS," 
PRESUMABLY REFERRING PRIMARILY TO THE FATE OF THE VIETNAM 
HUMAN RIGHTS ACT IN THE US SENATE.  GIANG ECHOED CPV GENERAL 
SECRETARY NONG DUC MANH'S REMARKS EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT THE 
 
SIPDIS 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S TOP TWO PRIORITIES FOR ITS UPCOMING 
SESSION ARE THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND THE 
BTA.  GIANG SAID THAT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WOULD CAREFULLY 
STUDY THE BTA SINCE IT IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT 
VIETNAM HAS EVER UNDERTAKEN.  WITHOUT EXPLICITLY SAYING THAT 
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WOULD PASS THE BTA, HE SAID THAT THE 
PRESIDENT WOULD AFTERWARD SIGN IT WITHOUT DELAY. 
 
4.  (SBU)  DIRECTOR GIANG EMPHASIZED THE POSITIVE IN THE 
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, WARMLY THANKING CHARGE FOR THE 
EMBASSY'S USD 35,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE VIETNAM RED CROSS 
FOR MEKONG RIVER FLOOD VICTIMS EARLIER IN THE DAY.  HE 
POINTED OUT LANGUAGE IN THE NATIONAL POLICY SETTING REPORT 
OF THIS YEAR'S NINTH NATIONAL COMMUNIST PARTY CONGRESS THAT 
"VIETNAM IS READY TO BE A FRIEND AND PARTNER WITH ALL 
COUNTRIES," CONTRASTING IT WITH THE SEVENTH CPV CONGRESS'S 
1991 REPORT IN WHICH VIETNAM "WISHED TO BE A FRIEND OF ALL 
COUNTRIES."  ACCORDING TO GIANG, THIS MEANS THAT VIETNAM IS 
MATURE ENOUGH AND PREPARED TO BE A FRIEND AND PARTNER TO 
COUNTRIES "INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES."  HE EXPRESSED A 
BELIEF THAT WHILE THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP HAS ITS UPS AND 
DOWNS, THE OVERALL TREND IS UPWARD.  NOTING HIS PERSONAL 
STAKE IN THE BTA, ACQUIRED THROUGH WORKING ON IT FOR SEVERAL 
YEARS, HE OFFERED HIS OFFICE AS A POINT OF CONTACT IN TIMES 
OF NEED. 
 
5.  (SBU)  GIANG AND CHARGE DISCUSSED THE LINGERING 
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BITTERNESS FELT BY SOME ON BOTH SIDES LEFT OVER FROM THE 
VIETNAM WAR.  NOTING THAT THIS BITTERNESS IS A "CHRONIC 
IRRITANT" IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, GIANG SAID THAT HE 
BELIEVED THAT PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES WERE QUITE 
EFFECTIVE IN OVERCOMING THESE OLD TENSIONS.  HE CITED 
INSTANCES INVOLVING BOTH OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE AND "AGENT 
ORANGE VICTIMS" IN WHICH PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THEIR FORMER 
OPPONENTS FOES BROKE DOWN OLD HATREDS.  GIANG CONTRASTED THE 
PATH OF U.S. RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM TO THOSE OF POST-WORLD 
WAR II GERMANY OR JAPAN, OBSERVING THAT IN THE US-VIETNAM 
CASE, PEOPLE TEND TO "CLING TO THE PAST."  HOWEVER, HE TOOK 
A FAVORABLE VIEW OF US-VIETNAM RELATIONS IN THE LONG-TERM 
COMPARED WITH THOSE BETWEEN VIETNAM AND CHINA, CITING WHAT 
HE SAID WAS A FAVORITE SAYING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: "HEY GUYS, 
WHEN THE WESTERNERS LEAVE, THE CHINESE WILL COME AGAIN." 
PORTER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED