US embassy cable - 05HANOI1782

UNCLAS HANOI 001782 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR, PREL, SN, VN 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM APPROVES OF U.S.-SINGAPORE STRATEGIC 
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT 
 
Reftel:  STATE 125837 
 
1. (SBU) Poloff delivered Reftel talking points July 11 to 
Hoang Xuan Hai, Section Chief in the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs' Asia II Department.  Defense Attache delivered the 
same points July 12 to Senior Colonel Nguyen Quang Bieu, 
Section Chief in the External Relations Department of the 
Ministry of National Defense (MND). 
 
2. (SBU) The MFA's Hai told Poloff that the MFA highly 
appreciates the courtesy of an advance notification of the 
signing of the SFA before its public announcement.  The GVN 
supports the signing of the Framework Agreement and sees it 
as a positive development if it genuinely promotes peace and 
security in the region.  "We don't want outside forces to 
set up bases in the region," he said, "but this kind of 
framework is positive." 
 
3. (SBU) MND officers were noncommittal but curious.  In 
response to Senior Colonel Bieu's question, DATT explained 
that the SFA is not a treaty.  Later, Lt. Colonel Nguyen 
Quang Vinh, United States Desk Officer at the Ministry of 
Defense, asked Poloff to clarify if the signing of the SFA 
represented an elevation in Singapore's relationship with 
the United States relative to other countries in the region. 
Poloff explained that Thailand and the Philippines remain 
the only countries in ASEAN who have treaty alliances with 
the United States. 
 
4. (SBU) Comment: The GVN approves of the SFA because it 
represents continued U.S. security engagement in the region 
without the commitment of visible and potentially 
politically sensitive U.S. troops or forces.  This is the 
best-case formula for Vietnam.  The advance notification was 
also perceived as demonstrating U.S. goodwill towards 
Vietnam and reflecting the improved bilateral climate after 
the Prime Minister's successful trip to Washington.  End 
Comment. 
 
MARINE