US embassy cable - 02HANOI1990

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001990 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MARR, PINR, PTER, VM, ARF, ASEAN, CTERR 
SUBJECT:  GVN VIEWS 35TH ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING AS "VERY 
--           SUCCESSFUL" 
 
REF:  A.  STATE 150391  B.  HANOI 01382 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HANOI  01990  01 OF 02  091047Z 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICIALS 
CHARACTERIZED THE 35TH ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BRUNEI 
AS "VERY SUCCESSFUL."  HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED THE SIGNING OF A 
JOINT DECLARATION ON COUNTER TERRORISM BETWEEN ASEAN AND THE 
U.S., A POSITIVE MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTER NGUYEN DY 
NIEN AND SECRETARY POWELL, LIMITED PROGRESS TOWARDS ADOPTING 
A DECLARATION ON THE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE SOUTH CHINA 
SEA, AND CONSENSUS ON ECONOMIC/DEVELOPMENT ISSUES.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
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COUNTERTERRORISM DECLARATION "MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT" 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
2.  (U)  POLOFFS OBTAINED READOUT OF THE 35TH ASEAN 
MINISTERIAL MEETING FROM MFA ASEAN DEPARTMENT DEPUTY 
DIRECTOR GENERAL PHAM HUU CHI AND SENIOR EXPERT LE CHI DUNG 
ON AUGUST 8.  OVERALL, CHI SAID THE GVN VIEWED THE MEETING 
AS "VERY SUCCESSFUL."  ASEAN MEMBERS "WERE PLEASED TO SEE 
THAT SECRETARY POWELL CAME TO THE MEETING WITH A "THICK 
BOOK" OUTLINING US ONGOING PROJECTS IN ASIA, WHICH 
DEMONSTRATED USG COMMITMENT TO THE REGION. 
 
3.  (U)  CHI SPECIFICALLY POINTED TO THE ASEAN-U.S. JOINT 
DECLARATION ON COUNTER TERRORISM, SIGNED AUGUST 1, AS THE 
MEETING'S "MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT."  CHI NOTED THAT, 
REGARDING COUNTER TERRORISM, "ASEAN AND THE U.S. UNDERSTAND 
EACH OTHER WELL AND THAT ASEAN IS DETERMINED TO WORK WITH 
THE USG'S CONCERNS."  CHI PREDICTED THAT NEXT MONTH'S ASEM 
SUMMIT WOULD INCLUDE A SIMILAR, THOUGH "SOMEWHAT WEAKER," 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HANOI  01990  01 OF 02  091047Z 
DECLARATION.  CHI SAID IT WAS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE PARTIES 
REACHED A CONSENSUS THREE DAYS BEFORE THE END OF THE 
MEETING.  TO EXPEDITE REACHING CONSENSUS, CERTAIN SPECIFICS 
SUCH AS INTELLIGENCE SHARING WERE OMITTED FROM THE 
DECLARATION BECAUSE SUCH ISSUES TOUCHED ON SOVEREIGNTY 
CONCERNS AND WOULD HAVE REQUIRED CONSULTATIONS WITH HOME 
MINISTRIES.  CHI DOWNPLAYED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH 
OMISSIONS, HOWEVER, NOTING THAT HE "EXPECTS SUCH COOPERATION 
WILL OCCUR." 
 
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"POSITIVE" NIEN-POWELL MEETING 
------------------------------ 
 
4.  (U)  CHI SAID THE FOREIGN MINISTER NIEN AND SECRETARY 
POWELL HELD A "VERY POSITIVE" 20-MINUTE MEETING ON JULY 
31ST.  CHI CHARACTERIZED THE MEETING AS "FORMAL, NOT PULL- 
ASIDE."  ACCORDING TO CHI, NIEN RAISED SEVERAL ISSUES, 
INCLUDING BTA IMPLEMENTATION, PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE 
JACKSON-VANIK WAIVER, AND SETTING UP OF "A PERMANENT 
MECHANISM" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM FOR SETTLING ISSUES 
SUCH AS CATFISH.  CHI SAID SECRETARY POWELL TOLD NIEN HE 
VIEWED THE CATFISH ISSUE AS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY; THE 
SECRETARY DID NOT COMMENT ON THE OTHER ISSUES RAISED.  NIEN 
 
SIPDIS 
ALSO MENTIONED TO THE SECRETARY THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA 
FOR PRIME MINISTER KHAI TO MEET PRESIDENT BUSH AT THE APEC 
MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THIS NOVEMBER IN MEXICO.  CHI ALSO 
REPORTED THAT SECRETARY POWELL TOLD NIEN THAT HE HOPED THEY 
COULD MEET AGAIN IN NEW YORK AT THE UPCOMING 57TH UN GENERAL 
ASSEMBLY. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HANOI  01990  01 OF 02  091047Z 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
CODE OF CONDUCT-PROGRESS BUT STILL A LONG ROAD AHEAD 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
5.  (U)  IN A MEETING WITH EMBOFFS LAST MAY (REFTEL B), CHI 
EXPRESSED OPTIMISM THAT THE DECLARATION OF THE SOUTH CHINA 
SEA CODE OF CONDUCT (COC) WOULD BE ADOPTED AT THE BRUNEI 
MEETING.  THIS DID NOT OCCUR.  CHI SAID THERE IS STILL NOT A 
CONSENSUS ON THE SCOPE.  THE STICKING POINT IS THAT MALAYSIA 
WANTS TO INCLUDE ONLY THE AREA AROUND THE SPRATLEY ISLANDS, 
WHILE OTHER ASEAN MEMBERS (AND THE PRC) WANT TO INCLUDE ALL 
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AREA.  THAT SAID, CHI OPINED THAT THE 
PRC IN PARTICULAR "WAS ANXIOUS TO SIGN A COC."  CHI SAID 
THAT ASEAN IS "WORKING TOWARDS A CONSENSUS" TO BREAK THE 
DEADLOCK BY LEAVING THE SCOPE ISSUE OUT OF THE TEXT BUT 
INCLUDE IT IN THE DOCUMENT'S TITLE.  ACCORDING TO PRESS 
REPORTS, MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM DISAGREED OVER THE TITLE, AS 
WELL, THOUGH VIETNAM EVENTUALLY RELENTED.  ACCORDING TO CHI 
AND PRESS REPORTS, THE DECLARATION'S WORDING (ORIGINALLY 
DRAFTED BY THE PHILIPPINES) WILL BE "REFINED" OVER THE NEXT 
FEW MONTHS AND THEN SIGNED AT THE ASEAN SUMMIT THAT WILL BE 
HELD THIS NOVEMBER IN CAMBODIA.  CHI POINTED OUT, HOWEVER, 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ1109 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  01990  02 OF 02  091048Z 
ACTION EAP-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AIT-03   ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DOTE-00  DS-00 
      EB-00    FAAE-00  FBIE-00  UTED-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00 
      LAB-01   VCE-00   NSAE-00  PM-00    SCT-00   IRM-00   TEST-00 
      USIE-00  ASDS-01  IIP-00   PMB-00   DSCC-00  DRL-02   NFAT-00 
      SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------D6F6ED  091048Z /38 
R 091045Z AUG 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7256 
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 
ASEAN COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AIT TAIPEI 0700 
NSC WASHDC 
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ABLAGG// 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001990 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP 
 
THAT THE DECLARATION IS ONLY AN INTERIM STEP AND THE FINAL 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HANOI  01990  02 OF 02  091048Z 
CODE OF CONDUCT IS UNLIKELY TO BE ADOPTED FOR "QUITE A FEW 
YEARS." 
 
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PROGRESS ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT 
------------------------------ 
 
6. (U)  ACCORDING TO CHI, ASEAN MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS 
REGARDING MEASURES TO NARROW THE DEVELOPMENT GAP AMONG THE 
ASEAN MEMBERS AND TOWARDS THE FORMATION OF NEW (AND 
SEPARATE) FREE TRADE AREAS (FTA) WITH, CHINA, JAPAN AND 
SOUTH KOREA, RESPECTIVELY.  SINGAPORE IN PARTICULAR WANTS TO 
SEE AN ACCELERATED EFFORT TO DIMINISH THE DEVELOPMENT GAP, 
AND "IS GROWING INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED BY THE SLOWER 
DEVELOPMENT OF ASEAN'S NEWEST MEMBERS," ACCORDING TO CHI. 
CHI COMMENTED THAT ASEAN AND THE PRC WERE "SLOWLY MOVING 
FORWARD" ON THIS ISSUE AFTER WITNESSING THE SUCCESS OF NAFTA 
AND THE EU.  CHI WAS LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT AN FTA WITH 
JAPAN.  JAPAN STILL FAVORS BILATERAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC 
PARTNERSHIPS RATHER THAN A MULTILATERAL FTA WITH ASEAN AS A 
WHOLE. 
 
------------------------ 
PROLIFERATION OF PLUSES 
------------------------ 
 
7. (U)  IN THE COMING MONTH'S ASEAN WILL LOOK TO EXPANDING 
UPON THE SUCCESS OF ITS "+ 3" RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA, JAPAN 
AND SOUTH KOREA BY PUSHING FOR THE ENHANCEMENT AND CREATION 
OF NEWER "+" RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SIGNIFICANT PARTNERS. 
CHI SAID HE "WAS PLEASED TO NOTE" THAT THERE WILL BE AN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HANOI  01990  02 OF 02  091048Z 
ASEAN + 1 MEETING WITH INDIA ON THE MARGINS OF THE UPCOMING 
MEETING IN CAMBODIA THIS NOVEMBER.  A SEPARATE, FIRST-EVER 
"+ 1" MEETING IS SCHEDULED TO OCCUR EARLY NEXT YEAR WITH 
AUSTRALIA.  IN ADDITION TO THESE MEETINGS, ASEAN ALSO WOULD 
LIKE TO DEVELOP A "+ 1" RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES. 
CHI SUGGESTED THAT SUCH A MEETING COULD BE ATTEMPTED AS 
EARLY AS THIS YEAR. VIETNAM BELIEVES THAT A ONE-DAY SUMMIT 
ON THE MARGINS OF THE MEXICO APEC SUMMIT WOULD OFFER A GOOD 
TEST FOR THIS IDEA. 
 
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PAST AND FUTURE LEADERSHIP 
-------------------------- 
 
8. (U)  CHI SAID BRUNEI HAD DONE A "GOOD JOB" OF HOSTING THE 
CONFERENCE. CHI OPINED THAT CAMBODIA "SHOULD BE READY" TO 
HOST THE NOVEMBER MEETING.  HE NOTED THAT THE CAMBODIAN 
GOVERNMENT HAS SENT DELEGATES TO HANOI AND BANDAR SERI 
BEGAWAN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS IN AN EFFORT TO LEARN THEIR 
RESPONSIBILITIES AS HOSTS.  CHI SAID THAT THIS PREPARATION 
SHOULD PROVIDE FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION.  PORTER 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED