US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2925

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002925 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV, NP, T 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2015 
TAGS: MNUC, PARM, PREL, TH, Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) 
SUBJECT: PSI: UPDATE ON SECURING THAI ENDORSEMENT 
 
REF: A. STATE 39747 
 
     B. BANGKOK 1886 
     C. BANGKOK 1772 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert J. Clarke 
 
1.  (C)   Summary:  After a year and a half of U.S. and other 
lobbying, Thailand apparently has made the basic policy 
decision to be more supportive of the Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI) and is moving through the final steps 
towards endorsement of the PSI Statement of Interdiction 
Principles (SOP).  However, we should not underestimate the 
bureaucratic obstacles that remain and it is not yet clear 
when the decision will reach the Cabinet for final approval. 
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's final scrutiny of the 
decision will be key and his endorsement cannot be taken for 
granted.  Sustained, high-level USG engagement on PSI will 
help to ensure the top Thai political leadership understands 
the importance the United States places on Thai participation 
in PSI.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C)  Despite high level engagement by Washington, Embassy 
Bangkok and others, the RTG has yet to formally endorse the 
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Statement of 
Interdiction Principles (SOP).  In March, the Ambassador 
demarched then Foreign Minister Surakiart about PSI.  At that 
time, Surakiart said that endorsement was a matter of time, 
but noted that a few RTG agencies continued to hold out on 
endorsement because of concerns over legal authorities 
related to PSI.  The Ambassador's demarche followed up on the 
February conversation between Under Secretary Bolton and the 
Thai MFA Director General for International Organizations 
(Kittiphong) in Tokyo.  Our counterparts at the Australian 
Embassy in Bangkok also regularly engage the Thai on PSI. 
Despite these demarches and others at the Operational Experts 
Group (OEG) meeting in Sydney, the Thai have moved only 
slowly towards endorsement. 
 
3.  (C)  However, embarrassment over the awkward departure of 
the Thai delegation from the March 21-22 PSI OEG meeting in 
Omaha -- after they were informed that only countries who had 
endorsed the SOP would be welcome to participate -- seems to 
have spurred the Thai towards action on PSI.  In recent 
meetings MFA officials have been at pains to stress to 
Poloffs that the RTG is moving towards endorsement.  MFA 
chaired an intra-agency meeting on April 4 in order to 
address the legal concerns of holdout agencies and to reach 
consensus on endorsement among all involved agencies.  (Note: 
MFA officials claim that the Ministry of Defense (MOD) was 
the agency with the most serious reservations about legal 
authorities and obligations under PSI and has been holding up 
the process.  Yet, in numerous conversations with Emboffs, 
MOD officials have not expressed these concerns. End Note.) 
 
4.  (C)  MFA officials claim that they were able to achieve 
informal consensus on endorsement at the April 4 intra-agency 
meeting.  Following that achievement, MFA prepared a formal 
decision memo on endorsement of the SOP and circulated it 
among all cabinet ministries.  According to MFA, there are a 
few ministries who still have to sign off on the decision 
memo.  After all the clearances have been gathered, the memo 
will be sent to the Thai Cabinet for final approval -- where 
Prime Minister Thaksin, if he agrees, will personally sign 
off on PSI SOP endorsement. 
 
5.  (C)  Comment:  We believe that Thai endorsement on the 
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Statement of 
Principles (SOP) is close.  Emboffs have been fielding Thai 
queries related to the formalities involved in endorsement 
such as -- "what is the correct format for the diplomatic 
note?" or "how should we inform other countries that we have 
endorsed PSI?" -- and we have been told privately that we 
will have "good news" soon.  These are all positive signs 
that our campaign for final Thai endorsement is getting 
beyond the misunderstandings, complicated Thai bureaucratic 
rituals, and a previous unwillingness of the MFA to take a 
leadership role.  It appears that the Thai legal concerns 
related to PSI have been overcome. 
 
6.  (C)  Comment continued:  The RTG has taken a year and a 
half to get to this point on PSI SOP endorsement despite 
regular engagement.  Given typical Thai bureaucratic 
slowness, it will still be a challenge to get the ministries 
to take the final step and move the decision memo up to the 
cabinet.  A second challenge is that cabinet approval will 
subject the PSI SOP to the reality of the mercurial decision 
making style of Prime Minister Thaksin.  At past cabinet 
meetings, Thaksin has rejected individual items at cabinet 
meetings expected to be approved as a formality, over the 
recommendations of his ministers.  So we cannot take 
endorsement for granted.   We should continue to press the 
Thai for endorsement in order to ensure that the political 
leadership, and specifically the Prime Minister, understand 
the importance we place on PSI.  End Comment. 
BOYCE