US embassy cable - 05CANBERRA329

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000329 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AC/RSS, EAP/RSP AND EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2015 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, AS, ARF 
SUBJECT: NO GOA POSITION YET ON ARF CBM SEMINAR ON MISSILE 
DEFENSE 
 
REF: A. STATE 24613 
 
     B. CANBERRA 155 
 
Classified By: POLCOUNS WOO LEE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B AND D). 
 
1. (C) PolMilOff delivered ref A points and concept paper on 
February 14 to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) 
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Section Chief Paula Watt, ARF 
Action Officer Fiona Couchaud, and Defence Policy and Liaison 
Section Chief Jane Lambert, and separately to ADOD Assistant 
Secretary for Strategic Policy Marc Ablong on February 15. 
 
SIPDIS 
As of February 18, there was no unified GOA interagency 
position on the seminar (although neither DFAT nor ADOD 
opposed it in principle), particularly on the issue of 
whether Australia would choose to make a presentation.  Watt, 
who replaced Robyn Mudie as ARF Section Chief in mid-January 
and will attend the Berlin Inter-Sessional Support Group 
(ISG) meeting next week, said she looked forward to hearing 
more details from the U.S. delegation.  She and Lambert 
wondered how the USG would reconcile its approach at the 
seminar between the two different ARF groups: the ASEAN 
"sponge" countries who had no involvement in missile defense 
and would likely absorb the information without much 
reaction, and the North East Asian states such as China, 
Japan, and the two Koreas, which had far greater and 
differing stakes in the issue.  Noting that it only took one 
ARF member to oppose such a CBM seminar, they also wondered 
whether the U.S. was prepared as a fallback to provide a 
voluntary presentation on MD at a future ISG as a way to get 
MD into the ARF record in a less direct manner (Ref B).  They 
also mentioned the need for the USG to take into 
consideration the potential consequences of the seminar on 
the interests of U.S. allies such as Japan, Thailand and 
Australia. 
 
STANTON