US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2067

UNCLAS BANGKOK 002067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV, NP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, MNUC, PARM, TH, Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) 
SUBJECT: THAILAND'S NEXT STEPS ON PROLIFERATION SECURITY 
INITIATIVE (PSI) 
 
REF: A. STATE 39747 
 
     B. BANGKOK 1772 
     C. BANGKOK 1886 
     D. STATE 48997 
     E. O/I E-MAIL MAR 21 FROM THAI DESK 
 
1. (SBU) On March 22, Polcouns contacted Busaya Mathelin, 
Deputy Director General (DDG), International Organizations 
(IO) Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the Thai 
decision to recall two designated Thai participants before 
they joined the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) 
Operational Experts Group (OEG) meeting in Omaha. 
 
2. (SBU) DDG Busaya said that U.S. positions conveyed in two 
demarches (reftels) left Thailand no choice in the end other 
than to decline participation.  She reviewed developments. 
First, the U.S. invited Thailand to participate.  Then the 
U.S. asked Thailand to endorse the PSI Statement of 
Principles (SOP) before Omaha as a condition for 
participating.  Finally the U.S. had asked the Thai 
government for a statement to the OEG that the RTG had made a 
decision to pursue formal endorsement but was still working 
through the modalities, or to allow a U.S. statement to be 
made on the RTG's behalf.  After careful consideration of 
these various proposals, she said, the MFA had concluded that 
the U.S. was requiring declarations that were "two or three 
steps ahead" of Thailand's current position given that 
internal Thai coordination among 19 different agencies on PSI 
is not finished. 
 
3. (SBU) Busara said that, as had been repeatedly conveyed to 
the U.S. side, MFA officials at senior levels and many others 
in different agencies view the PSI SOP with favor.  However, 
several Thai agencies remain unconvinced that endorsement of 
the SOP would not oblige Thailand to specific actions, and 
were withholding their approval.  She said that MFA remains 
committed to convincing those holdouts that all actions under 
PSI would be voluntary and within domestic and international 
law, and that the principles should be endorsed.  Busara said 
that the MFA will hold an internal meeting on March 24 to 
discuss next steps on how to reach full agreement within the 
RTG on endorsement of the SOP.  MFA will probably convene the 
next Thai interagency meeting to try to achieve this 
consensus next week. 
BOYCE