US embassy cable - 05HANOI1235

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001235 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT PASS TO EAP/BCLTV 
USTR FOR EBRYAN AND GHICKS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KIRF, ETRD, OVIP, KPOW, VM, WTRO, WTO, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: CHARGE GETS PM VISIT UPDATE FROM LE VAN BANG 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  The Charge met with Vice Foreign 
Minister Le Van Bang May 25 and discussed ongoing plans for 
the Prime Minister's June visit to the United States.  VFM 
Bang said that his first priority was to reach general 
agreement on a "joint statement," and relayed the GVN's 
requests for a number of meetings as well as for assistance 
in working with the press and ensuring that security is 
tight for the visit.  Bang took on board Charge's concerns 
regarding an allegedly institutionalized Baptist pastor and 
opined that DPM Nguyen Tan Dzung may soon authorize POW/MIA 
case investigations in the Central Highlands.  Bang also 
revealed that DPM Vu Khoan might accompany the GVN's WTO 
negotiation team to Washington to be there to "permit 
successful negotiations." End Summary. 
 
NEED A JOINT STATEMENT RIGHT AWAY, PLEASE 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Vice Minister Le Van Bang met with the Charge May 
25 to convey some requests and concerns related to the 
visit of Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.  VFM Bang said he 
would lead the advance team that is scheduled to arrive in 
Washington on May 30 and would start work with a meeting 
with DAS Marie Huhtala on May 31.  VFM Bang said he 
understands that NSC Senior Director Mike Green and 
Director Ike Reed will be out of Washington during that 
week, and that he hopes that the State Department will be 
able to handle the arrangements during Bang's visit. 
 
3. (SBU) VFM Bang stressed several times that he wants to 
complete negotiations on the "joint statement" when he is 
in Washington.  To be able to do this the GVN would like to 
get the statement, to share with the interagency community 
in Hanoi before leaving for Washington.  That would mean 
getting U.S. reaction to the statement to Vietnam within 
the next day or so, he said.  VFM Bang also hopes to 
discuss the content of the dialogue between the President 
and the Prime Minister and the items each leader intends to 
raise, "to avoid any surprises" and to allow both sides to 
adequately prepare to answer questions and points raised 
during the POTUS/PM meeting. 
 
DELIVERABLES WORK 
----------------- 
 
4. (SBU) VFM Bang also requested that the U.S. side 
"accelerate" work on the documents the GVN would like to 
see signed during the visit, particularly the maritime, 
adoptions, IMET and bilateral framework agreements.  The 
Charge noted that the USAID, maritime and IMET agreements 
are with the GVN for review now and the USG is in the 
process of reviewing the GVN draft of the adoptions 
agreement.  The USAID framework agreement is also under 
review in Washington. 
 
PRESS ISSUES 
------------ 
 
5. (SBU) VFM Bang said the PM's office and the Embassy in 
Washington would "work with reporters" to make the press 
aspect of the visit a success and asked the U.S. side for 
two accommodations:  first, the PM would like the President 
and the PM to leave the Oval Office together after the 
meeting to address the press briefly outside, without 
taking questions.  (Note: Bang said the PM understood that 
the President might want to take a question or two from the 
press, and the PM would not object to that, though his 
preference would be to have no questions.  End note.) 
Secondly, Bang noted that the GVN had heard that a 
Vietnamese-American group intended to purchase an anti- 
Vietnam advertisement in the Washington Post and wanted the 
USG to recognize that this would "not be conducive" to the 
PM's visit.  The PM intends to give interviews to ABC and 
the Washington Post, Bang continued, though it will be 
difficult to give a Washington Post interview if the Post 
accepts an anti-Vietnam advertisement. 
 
SECURITY 
-------- 
 
6. (SBU) Security is very important to the GVN, Bang said, 
highlighting the fact that Vice Minister of Public Security 
Nguyen Van Huong will accompany the PM on the trip.  The 
GVN would like very much not to have any anti-Vietnam 
demonstrations in the PM's vicinity during his trip, he 
added.  If demonstrations do occur, they should be kept at 
a distance from the PM.  MPS representatives will accompany 
the advance team to Washington to discuss security issues 
with USG counterparts. 
 
FIRST LADY APPOINTMENT FOR PM'S WIFE? 
------------------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) The Prime Minister's wife will accompany him, Bang 
said.  She will have a private visit and will do some 
sightseeing and shopping, but would welcome "tea" or some 
other event with the First Lady if this is offered.  Bang 
asked that the USG inform the GVN if such an event is 
planned. 
 
DELEGATION LIST 
--------------- 
 
8. (SBU) Bang provided the following notional list of the 
delegation: 
 
PM Phan Van Khai and his wife 
The Ministers of Finance and Trade, and Minister in Charge 
of the Office of the Government Toan Manh Giao 
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Van Bang 
Vice Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Bich Dat 
Vice Minister of Trade Luong Van Tu 
Vice Minister of National Defense Nguyen Huy Hieu 
Vice Minister of Finance Le Thi Bang Tam 
Vice Minister of Education 
Vice Minister of Justice Hoang The Lien 
Vice Minister of Transportation 
Vice Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong 
Chairmen of the People's Committees of Danang, Haiphong, 
Hue, and HCMC 
Six members of the National Assembly 
(Note: the Canadian Embassy told us the six MPs would 
include Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Duong 
Trung Quoc.  End Note.) 
 
Bang said there would be a total of thirty in the official 
delegation, plus bodyguards and security.  He related the 
Prime Minister's specific request that delegation members 
not be required to submit to fingerprinting in the visa 
process. 
 
PUBLIC AIRPORTS PLEASE, EXCEPT FOR ANDREWS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
9. (SBU) Bang conveyed the PM's request that his plane be 
allowed to land at Andrews Air Force Base during the 
Washington, D.C., portion of his program.  For the Seattle, 
Boston and New York stops, the PM prefers "public 
airports," Bang said.  The PM specifically does not want to 
land at Boeing's airfield. 
 
GALAS IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON 
-------------------------------- 
 
10. (SBU) Accompanying ministers and vice ministers would 
be requesting meetings and holding "seminars" in the cities 
they visit, Bang said.  The SRV Embassy in Washington is in 
charge of making those arrangements, he added.  The GVN 
expects the Gala Dinner scheduled in Washington to be the 
biggest event, with a fashion show, music show, a film and 
a speech by the PM to 5-600 guests, possibly at the Reagan 
Building.  In New York, at the scheduled lunch, the PM 
intends to make a speech about Vietnam's economic reform 
process and foreign policy.  It will be the major policy 
speech of the visit, Bang said. 
 
11. (SBU) In response to Charge's question regarding the 
PM's desire to see Bill Gates in Seattle, Bang said that 
the PM wants to visit Microsoft and meet with Gates.  The 
PM would also like to have dinner with the Governor of the 
State of Washington at 7:00 p.m. on June 19th along with 
Boeing executives.  In the event the Governor is 
unavailable, Bang said, the Lieutenant Governor would be 
acceptable. 
 
OTHER ISSUES, INCLUDING WTO NEGOTIATION TEAM 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
12. (SBU) Regarding the WTO negotiations, VFM Bang said 
that that is a separate program altogether.  The GVN is 
still making decisions, Bang said, but the team could 
include the Vice Ministers of Trade, Transportation, 
Finance and Planning and Investment.  (Note:  the Ministry 
of Post and Telematics is conspicuously missing from this 
list.  End Note.) All of these vice ministers might not 
attend meetings, VFM Bang said, but they would be available 
for consultation.  In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Vu 
Khoan might attend to "permit the success of the 
negotiations." 
 
Baptist Pastor 
-------------- 
 
13. (SBU) Charge raised the issue of Baptist Pastor Than 
Van Truong, recently committed to a mental institution in 
Dong Ngai Province.  VFM Bang said he is unfamiliar with 
the details and would investigate and get back to us.  He 
added that he had requested the officials in the MFA's 
Consular Department work on Visas 93 cases from Dak Lak 
Province, and expects a report from them soon.  On a 
slightly different subject, Bang said he had spoken to 
Deputy PM Nguyen Tan Dzung about the Central Highlands 
POW/MIA cases.  Dzung, Bang said, "may give the green light 
one day soon." 
 
BOARDMAN