US embassy cable - 04HANOI2901

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002901 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR H, PM, EAP/BCLTV 
 
DOD FOR DASD JENNINGS AND OSD/ISA STERN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, MASS, KPOW, VM 
SUBJECT:  AMBASSADOR AND DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSS POW/MIA, 
IMET, DEMINING 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: The Vietnam Defense Minister confirmed in 
his introductory meeting with the Ambassador October 26 that 
underwater POW/MIA recovery operations can be conducted on a 
Vietnamese Navy vessel, a civilian vessel or not at all. 
English language training for military officers remains a 
priority, but not enough to extract a pledge to sign an IMET 
agreement.  Both sides agree that POW/MIA recovery 
operations and demining/UXO clearance efforts have been very 
successful and have contributed to a positive and developing 
bilateral military relationship.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) The Ambassador, accompanied by Poloff and DATT, met 
Defense Minister Senior General Pham Van Tra at the Ministry 
of Defense Guest House October 26.  Tra was accompanied by 
Major General Pham Thanh Lan and two Senior Colonels from 
the Ministry of Defense.  The meeting lasted 30 minutes; 
from the friendly atmospherics, it could have gone longer 
had the Russian Ambassador not been waiting outside for his 
exit call with the Defense Minister. 
 
POW/MIA RECOVERY: ONE BRIGHT SPOT 
--------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) The Ambassador detailed his discussions with Admiral 
Fargo at PACOM and the significant steps the United States 
and Vietnam had taken on bilateral military relations in the 
previous year.  General Tra agreed that relations had 
developed "very well" and cited POW/MIA recovery operations 
as a particular bright spot.  Vietnam had turned over more 
than 700 sets of remains to the United States, and U.S. 
veterans had provided information key to the identification 
of over 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers.  "We are ready to 
cooperate on MIA operations virtually anywhere you wish," 
Tra told the Ambassador. 
 
BUT NO U.S. NAVY RECOVERY VESSELS. . . 
-------------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that key U.S. priorities on 
POW/MIA are to be able to conduct recovery operations in the 
Central Highlands and underwater.  To resolve those issues, 
the United States needs General Tra's assistance, he said. 
General Tra acknowledged that "we have yet to agree" on the 
underwater recovery operations issue.  The United States had 
proposed using a U.S. Navy vessel to conduct underwater 
recovery options, but Vietnam feels that "warships should be 
in Vietnam for goodwill visits only.  A ship that loiters in 
our waters would not be acceptable."  General Tra said there 
are two possible scenarios under which underwater recovery 
operations could be conducted: either with U.S. personnel 
operating on a Vietnamese ship, or with a U.S. civilian 
ship.  The Ambassador noted that Vietnamese military 
personnel had visited Japan and Hawaii to gain a greater 
understanding of the underwater recovery process and the 
ships that are necessary for success.  In a similar vein, 
U.S. personnel visited Vietnam recently to review Vietnam's 
capabilities in this regard.  It is time to move beyond the 
exchange and theoretical stage and begin operations, the 
Ambassador stated.  He agreed to pass on to Washington the 
constraints General Tra had explained. 
 
DEMINING/UXO CLEARANCE - MORE SUCCESS 
------------------------------------- 
 
5. (U) General Tra raised the issue of demining and UXO 
clearance, noting appreciatively that Vietnamese units had 
been able to "do very good work" in three central provinces 
using U.S.-provided equipment.  The Ambassador added that 
knowledge is the basis for effective clearance work, and the 
goal of the United States is to fund a national-level survey 
of the type being done in the three central provinces. 
 
BILATERAL EXCHANGES: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK 
------------------------------------------ 
 
6. (U) Both the Ambassador and General Tra praised the pace 
and substance of bilateral military exchanges, noting the 
greater mutual understanding developed through these 
exchanges, including General Tra's visit to the United 
States in 2003.  The Ambassador said he hopes to continue 
this trend with high-level visits in 2005.  General Tra 
noted that Vietnam would be very busy with celebrations (of 
the 30th anniversary of unification) and therefore high- 
level visits would have to be planned carefully to avoid any 
conflicts with important local events. 
 
STILL TO IRON OUT: DECONTAMINATION ISSUE AND IMET AGREEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
7. (U) General Tra told the Ambassador that Vietnam wants 
the United States to assist with the decontamination of four 
former U.S. military bases in Vietnam.  The Ambassador 
explained that U.S. law prohibits the Department of Defense 
from engaging in this sort of activity, but added that other 
U.S. agencies -- notably the Environmental Protection 
Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
Department of Health and Human Services -- had been to 
Vietnam on humanitarian missions and had spent substantial 
sums of time and money. 
 
8. (U) The Ambassador asked General Tra about Vietnam's 
plans to sign an IMET agreement with the United States, 
which would be a prerequisite for any military training -- 
particularly English language training for officers -- that 
the United States could provide to Vietnam.  General Tra 
lamented the sorry state of the English language skills of 
his officers, saying that it makes it difficult for 
Vietnamese officers to participate usefully in any 
international training.  Australia and the UK are both 
working on English language programs as a way to assist 
Vietnam, he added, and the People's Army had recently opened 
an English language training facility.  The Ambassador 
reminded Tra that, without an IMET agreement, the United 
States is unable to assist Vietnam's military in this area -- 
and that money for such assistance is available but being 
left behind because of the lack of an agreement. 
 
9. (SBU) Comment: General Tra was alert and engaged for the 
entire conversation, referring to his staff only once for 
clarification on one of the finer points of the IMET 
agreement.  He was clearer about the use of a U.S. ship for 
underwater recovery operations than other interlocutors have 
been; previously we had been exploring solutions that would 
have a U.S. ship and a Vietnamese ship conduct operations 
side-by-side in a "training exercise."  General Tra did not 
mention this at all, and, when he linked the ship visits to 
the underwater recovery operations by saying that one was 
appropriate for U.S. warships and one was not, he got 
vigorous head-nodding agreement from his assembled staff 
members, as though he had repeated his talking point just 
right.  Finally, despite appearing a bit rushed in wrapping 
up the meeting, General Tra seemed to truly enjoy it, and 
when he told the Ambassador "we should meet each other again 
soon," he sounded sincere.  End Comment. 
 
MARINE