US embassy cable - 05RANGOON973

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000973 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, BM 
SUBJECT: SPDC TO ALITAS: REFORM OKAY AT THE UN, NOT HERE 
 
REF: RANGOON 909 
 
Classified By: CDA Karl Stoltz for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Summary:  Former Indonesian FM Ali Alitas made a 
three-day visit to Burma August 18-20 as a UN special envoy 
on United Nations reforms.  His primary objectives, however, 
were to gain rare UN entree to top regime officials, to press 
for broader UN access to Burma, and to deliver a letter from 
UNSYG Kofi Annan spelling out expectations for a possible 
visit.  Alitas' soft-peddle approach succeeded in securing 
face-time with the regime's senior brass, but apparently 
yielded no new results.  End Summary. 
 
THE BURMESE DOG AND PONY SHOW 
 
2. (U) Former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alitas visited 
Rangoon August 18-20 in his capacity as "UN Special Envoy for 
Asia and the Pacific on UN reforms."  According to GOB 
sources, Alitas met on August 19 with State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC) Senior General Than Shwe for a 
one-hour meeting.  A host of senior SPDC officials 
participated in that session, including Vice-Senior General 
Maung Aye, General Thura Shwe Mann, PM General Soe Win, and 
Secretary-1 Lt Gen Thein Sein. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
3. (U) Alitas, who last visited Burma in 2003 as a special 
envoy for then-Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, 
held separate meetings with officials of at least two regime 
mass-member organizations, including the Union Solidarity and 
Development Association (USDA) and the Myanmar Women's 
Affairs Federation (MWAF).  He also met with various 
organizers of the SPDC's National Convention (NC), including 
Chief Justice U Aung Toe, chairman of the NC "Convening Work 
Committee."  Alitas was accompanied to all of his meetings by 
Elizabeth Noorthy of the UN External Affairs Office. 
 
THE REAL GIVE-AND-TAKE (NO GIVE) 
 
4. (C) On August 22, UN resident coordinator Charles Petrie 
discussed the Alitas visit during an unrelated Global Fund 
briefing for donor embassies (septel).  He said that although 
Alitas had addressed UN reform issues with the SPDC, an equal 
objective was to gain UN access to senior regime officials 
(Note: The SPDC has denied UN Special Envoy to Burma Razali 
Ismail the opportunity to return to Burma since March 2004. 
End Note).  Petrie stressed that no resident UN officials had 
participated in Alitas' meetings. 
 
5. (C) According to Petrie, Alitas first read aloud and then 
handed Than Shwe a personal letter from UNSYG Kofi Annan. 
The letter outlined the UNSYG's expectations that the SPDC 
would grant him substantive access to Aung San Suu Kyi and 
undertake reform measures before he could finalize plans for 
a visit to Burma, as early as the end of the year.  Than Shwe 
told Alitas that he would welcome a visit from the UNSYG "at 
a mutually convenient time," but that he would not be able to 
accommodate all of the UN's "suggested" reforms or all of 
Kofi Annan's expectations for his visit. 
 
6. (C) Petrie intimated that Than Shwe's unresponsiveness to 
suggestions in the letter meant that an UNSYG visit would not 
likely take place in the near future, but he added that he, 
Alitas, Razali, and other UN officials would likely discuss 
next steps in New York when they meet in early September 
prior to the UNGA. 
 
EXTERNAL DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENTS 
 
7. (C) Petrie also noted that Alitas raised with Than Shwe 
the issue of access to Burma for Razali and UN human rights 
rapporteur Pinheiro (denied a visit since November 2003). 
Than Shwe said he had "no objection" to future visits, but 
criticized UN envoy Razali for his "lack of objectivity" and 
for not reporting his past discussions with the GOB to the 
SYG accurately.  On another topic, Than Shwe said that access 
for the ILO on forced labor issues was possible, but added 
that Bangkok-based political/labor exile leader U Maung Maung 
was a "terrorist" and the source of the ILO's inaccurate 
information on Burma. 
 
COMMENT: ACCESS DOESN'T MEAN INFLUENCE 
 
8. (C) Alitas found SPDC Chairman Than Shwe hardlined as 
ever.  The senior general was well briefed on Burma/ASEAN 
positions on UN reform and made several interventions without 
referring to talking points.  On Burmese political issues, 
Than Shwe was confident and showed no signs of bowing to any 
form of international pressure. 
 
9. (C) The visit was fully controlled by the GOB and resident 
UN agencies purposefully "did not interfere" in any way that 
could have jeopardized Alitas' access to the top generals. 
Alitas clearly chose a low-key approach to the SPDC, which 
included not asking to see ASSK, not visiting the democratic 
opposition, and not making any agenda demands.  Ali Alitas 
bent over backwards to gain rare UN access to the SPDC 
generals, but he returns home with the same empty results as 
other efforts to engage the regime have produced.  End 
Comment. 
Stoltz