US embassy cable - 05HANOI2515

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 002515 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT PASS TO EAP/BCLTV; EAP/RSP; EAP/EP; DRL 
 
STATE PASS TO USTR ELENA BRYAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, EINV, PREL, PHUM, KIRF, PGOV, OVIP, AMGT, ABLD, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE, TIP, APEC, ASEAN, WTO 
SUBJECT: EAP DAS Eric John's Meeting with Assistant Foreign 
Minister Nguyen Duc Hung 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric John, 
the Ambassador and EAP/MLS Director Scot Marciel discussed 
bilateral relations and regional cooperation with Assistant 
Foreign Minister Nguyen Duc Hung on September 27.  After 
praising the momentum and goodwill that the Vietnamese Prime 
Minister's recent visit had created, Hung urged the United 
States to move quickly to conclude bilateral negotiations 
for Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization 
(WTO).  Hung also expressed satisfaction at the progress 
made in recent Six Party Talks with North Korea, and noted 
China's positive participation in them.  He pledged the 
Government of Vietnam's (GVN) commitment to quickly 
approving the location for the new U.S. Embassy and to 
continuing to cooperate on humanitarian, religious freedom 
and counter trafficking issues.  End Summary. 
 
REGIONAL ISSUES AND THE SIX-PARTY TALKS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric John, the 
Ambassador and EAP/MLS Director Scot Marciel met with 
Assistant Foreign Minister Nguyen Duc Hung on September 27, 
the first in a series of meetings on the U.S.-Vietnam 
bilateral relationship and cooperation on regional issues. 
In response to Hung's opening question regarding U.S. 
priorities in the region, DAS John outlined the importance 
of bilateral relationships with countries like Vietnam, 
Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as that of 
multilateral efforts, including the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Six Party Talks with North Korea, 
and APEC.  Hung expressed Vietnam's satisfaction over the 
agreed statement of principles that came out of the most 
recent round of Six Party Talks, noting that Vietnam was 
pleased to see China's cooperation in the talks. 
 
APEC 
---- 
 
3. (SBU) AFM Hung also wanted to know if it was true that 
South Korea planned to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong- 
Il to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' 
Meeting in November 2005.  DAS John said it was unlikely, 
and that all invitations to an event like the Leaders' 
Meeting must follow APEC protocol.  DAS John then pointed 
out that there was some concern in Washington that the APEC 
2006 schedule for Hanoi had not been made available to 
participating countries.  The "time seems to have arrived 
for this to be clear," DAS John added.  He also noted that 
the U.S. Senior Official for APEC and EAP/FO Economic 
Coordinator Mike Michalak would be visiting Hanoi in early 
October to further discuss APEC 2006 with Vietnamese 
officials. 
 
ASEAN 
----- 
 
4. (SBU) AFM Hung asked what role the United States saw for 
Vietnam in ASEAN, to which DAS John replied that the United 
States would appreciate Vietnam's help in moving the ASEAN 
agenda forward to more substantive issues.  He also asked 
that Vietnam push for greater attention to human rights 
concerns, especially in Burma.  If the United States and 
Vietnam could have a consistent message on the importance of 
Burma's meeting its democratic commitments, made many years 
ago, that would be very helpful.  DAS John also noted that 
the United States would welcome Vietnam's insights as 
preparations unfold for the East Asia Summit (EAS) to be 
held this December.  In response to Hung's question about 
U.S. participation, DAS John replied that the United States 
would review the progress of the EAS, particularly with 
regard to the substantive goals of the group, before making 
any decisions. 
 
THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
5. (SBU) Turning to the subject of Prime Minister Phan Van 
Khai's June 2005 visit to the United States, AFM Hung noted 
how big an impact the visit had had on Vietnamese public 
opinion, dramatically increasing the people's understanding 
of and support for the United States, a fact evidenced by 
their generous contributions to assist victims of Hurricane 
Katrina.  This attitude had continued to grow throughout the 
country, and within the Central Government, there was 
renewed momentum for U.S.-Vietnam cooperation. 
Specifically, Hung named bilateral counternarcotics efforts 
as an example of this cooperation, noting that Vietnam would 
extend the agreement under which it operates.  He also 
listed bilateral health projects on avian influenza and 
HIV/AIDS as further examples of a strong U.S.-Vietnam 
partnership.  Referring to the mini-Chiefs of Missions (COM) 
conference that concluded yesterday here in Hanoi attended 
by the U.S. Ambassadors to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and 
the Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Hung brought up the 
importance of increasing humanitarian cooperation in the 
region.  He singled out the mutual resolve of both U.S. and 
Vietnamese officials to look for opportunities for more 
regional humanitarian efforts, to further enhance our 
POW/MIA fullest possible accounting work. 
 
WTO ACCESSION 
------------- 
 
6. (SBU) AFM Hung then moved to the question of Vietnam's 
World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, adding that this 
was the Prime Minister's and Deputy Prime Minister Vu 
Khoan's only real bilateral issue of concern.  Hung then 
asked what the real reason was for the delay in U.S.-Vietnam 
WTO negotiations, noting that Vietnam's leaders could not 
understand why nor explain what could be taking so long. 
Hung wondered if there was any political motivation in the 
United States working against Vietnam's accession.  DAS John 
assured Hung that there were no political forces working 
against Vietnam's accession.  In fact, he said, the United 
States took Vietnam's accession very seriously and was 
working very hard to come to a resolution as soon as 
possible.  Vietnam, however, must likewise work hard to 
address the problems that remained, especially since 
accession would ultimately benefit the Vietnamese people 
most of all.  If the Vietnamese could speed up their pace, 
and put a more serious offer on the table, he said, "we will 
get there." 
 
TRAFFICKING, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
7. (SBU) DAS John raised the importance of combating the 
trafficking of drugs and people in Vietnam, expressing a 
hope that cooperation from Vietnamese law enforcement on 
these issues would improve.  AFM Hung observed that this 
cooperation seemed to be on the right path.  After 
expressing his appreciation that Vietnam had been taken off 
the Majors' List for drug trafficking, Hung then noted his 
disappointment that Vietnam was still listed as a Country of 
Particular Concern for religious freedom, adding that 
Vietnam had made real progress in this area.  For example, 
the new decree on religious freedom (which clearly prohibits 
forced renunciations of faith) had been disseminated to all 
authorities and had clarified their roles in the community. 
In response, DAS John commended Vietnam's laws protecting 
religious freedom, but noted that the problem for the United 
States was not with the laws but with their implementation, 
especially in the Northwest and Central Highlands.  Many 
members of the U.S. Congress were particularly interested in 
this subject.  DAS John also reiterated the U.S. intent to 
resume the results-based Human Rights Dialogue with Vietnam 
as soon as a U.S. Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human 
Rights and Labor was in place. 
 
A NEW U.S. EMBASSY 
------------------ 
 
8. (SBU) DAS John raised the issue of the new Embassy 
property, stressing how critical the timing of Vietnam's 
approval for the new location was to the USG budget cycle. 
The fiscal year was about to end, and formal approval for 
the new building and its location would help to anchor the 
development of the bilateral relationship.  Hung replied 
that all of the ministries had approved the proposal, and 
the only remaining hurdle was to obtain the Prime Minister's 
signature, something Hung believed they would receive by the 
end of the week.  He warned that a signing ceremony might 
take a few more days to arrange, however. 
 
9. (SBU) DAS John cleared this cable. 
 
MARINE