US embassy cable - 05HANOI647

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KIRF, CASC, MASS, OVIP, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH AFM HUNG: PM VISIT PLANS 
AND CONCERN ABOUT CIRF RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
REF: A. Hanoi 622; B. Hanoi 570; C. Hanoi 599; D. Hanoi 580; 
 
E. Hanoi 453 
 
1. (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST: PLEASE SEE PARAGRAPH 4. 
 
2. (SBU) Summary: The MFA is pushing the Embassy for 
specific dates for the proposed visit of Prime Minister Phan 
Van Khai to the United States.  The GVN has some agreements 
in mind to use as deliverables, including an International 
Military Exchange and Training (IMET) agreement and an 
adoption agreement, if the remaining areas of concern can be 
worked out.  The ship visit scheduled for late March can go 
ahead as planned.  The GVN urges that the U.S. Commission on 
International Religious Freedom (CIRF)'s recommendation to 
deny visas to provincial officials in provinces where 
religious freedom has been constrained not be accepted.  End 
Summary. 
 
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT 
---------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) The Ambassador met Assistant Foreign Minister 
Nguyen Duc Hung March 14 at the latter's request.  Poloff 
also attended.  AFM Hung opened with the issue of Prime 
Minister Phan Van Khai's proposed visit to the United 
States.  He said PM Khai planned to also visit Canada, and 
that the Canadian Government has offered two possible dates: 
June 21-23 and June 27-29.  PM Khai would prefer to visit 
the United States before traveling to Canada, Hung said. 
His preferred dates for the visit are June 20-25, but if 
those dates are not feasible, he could accept June 26-July 
1. 
 
4. (SBU) Hung asked about the protocol for inviting the 
Prime Minister.  Specifically, the Prime Minister's office 
would like to know if they should expect a personal 
invitation for the Prime Minister from President Bush, or 
whether there will be some other written confirmation (such 
as a diplomatic note from the Embassy) of the trip.  ACTION 
REQUEST: Please provide us with acceptable dates for the 
PM's visit to Washington and advise regarding the method of 
inviting him. 
 
DELIVERABLES FOR THE VISIT 
-------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) Hung also reviewed the list of possible 
deliverables for the visit, including a maritime agreement; 
an MOU on agriculture; a 505 agreement to allow an IMET 
program; and, an adoption agreement.  The MOU on agriculture 
is nearly complete, Hung said, and the GVN expects to work 
out the details of the maritime agreement during a USG 
delegation's visit beginning March 21.  The IMET agreement 
might be possible, Hung said, but the GVN has some 
"outstanding questions."  The Ambassador summarized the 
content of the proposed 505 agreement and said theEmbassy's 
Defense Attache would be available to brief officials from 
the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the MFA any time 
on the details of the agreement.  Regarding the adoptions 
agreement, Hung said the GVN is "trying to overcome some 
legal hurdles" to permit it.  "The substance has been 
discussed many times," Hung added, "and now we are 
optimistic we will overcome the obstacles."  The Ministry of 
Justice (MOJ) should talk directly to the Embassy about the 
adoptions agreement, Hung and the Ambassador agreed.  The 
Ambassador also noted that an Article 98 agreement and the 
framework for bilateral assistance should be on the list of 
possible deliverables for the Prime Minister's visit. 
 
SHIP VISIT STILL ON FOR THE END OF MARCH 
---------------------------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) Hung volunteered that MND had proposed postponing 
the upcoming U.S. Navy ship visit to May, but that he had 
pushed back and MND had agreed to keep the visit on schedule 
for late March.  The Ambassador told Hung that, in his 
conversation with Minister in Charge of the Office of the 
Government Doan Manh Giao (ref A), he had learned that the 
Prime Minister had been in favor of the visit going forward 
as planned.  Hung confirmed that the PM had directed that 
the U.S. ship receive priority for a visit over a Thai 
vessel scheduled to visit at the same time. 
 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
----------------- 
 
7. (SBU) Turning to the religious freedom issue, Hung said 
that GVN had noted with concern reports in the press that 
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 
(CIRF) had issued a recommendation that the USG deny visas 
to some Vietnamese officials from provinces where local 
authorities have allowed abuses to occur.  "If such 
proposals are accepted they will make big trouble for us," 
Hung said.  "We have lived up to the promises our leaders 
made on religious freedom, such as in: the Implementation 
Decree for the Ordinance on Religion; an amnesty for several 
of the prisoners you were concerned about; and, the release 
of an Instruction from the Prime Minister that will lead to 
the reopening of churches.  We would like a positive 
response from your side."  The Ambassador reminded Hung that 
the CIRF is an advisory body and that, to the Embassy's 
knowledge, no plans exist to implement the recommendations. 
 
6. (SBU) Continuing on the religious freedom theme, the 
Ambassador noted that Ambassador at Large for International 
Religious Freedom John Hanford's visit (refs B and C) had 
been positive but a bit disappointing in that he was unable 
to leave with an agreement.  The visit provided Ambassador 
Hanford with a better understanding of the GVN's commitment 
to "expand religious space," the Ambassador said.  The USG 
welcomed "the letter and the spirit" of the religious 
freedom regulations and instructions that had been provided 
recently (ref D), but is watching carefully to see how they 
are implemented, the Ambassador said.  In the past week, the 
Ambassador noted, there have been reports of local 
authorities "not getting the message" or not believing that 
the new regulations are genuine.  "This phenomenon is not 
surprising," the Ambassador said, "and can be expected in 
any situation where the rules change.  The key will be how 
the Central Government reacts to cases in which the local 
authorities are not respecting the new rules." 
 
7. (SBU) The Ambassador raised the case of Bui Dinh Thi, who 
was admitted to the United States as a refugee in 1994 but 
subsequently admitted to human rights violations while in a 
reeducation camp in Vietnam from 1978 to 1981.  In a 
February 25 meeting with the DCM concerning Thi's 
deportation back to Vietnam (ref E), Hung said he would take 
a look at the U.S. request and identify an appropriate GVN 
point of contact to pursue a solution to the problem, the 
Ambassador added.  Hung responded that the MFA's Consular 
Department is working on the issue and said he would provide 
a Consular Department point of contact for the Embassy as 
soon as possible. 
 
8. (SBU) The Ambassador advised Hung that he will travel to 
Texas to give a speech on U.S.-Vietnam relations at Texas 
Tech.  "The speech will be positive," the Ambassador said, 
"but I will raise human rights issues."  Among those issues 
will be the cases of five prisoners of concern to the USG, 
the Ambassador added.  Hung thanked the Ambassador for the 
advance warning. 
 
MARINE