US embassy cable - 03HANOI821

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000821 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; EAP/RSP; S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958:  NA 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, VM, ASEAN, ARF, CTERR 
SUBJECT:  COUNTERTERRORISM:  VIETNAM COMMITTED TO WORKING 
--         WITH ASEAN BUT LEADERSHIP ROLE UNLIKELY 
 
REF:  A.  Hanoi 381  B.  Hanoi 560  C.  Kuala Lumpur 1635 
 
-     D.  Hanoi 694 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY.  The GVN views ASEAN as an important 
framework for regional counterterrorism (CT) efforts and has 
consistently voiced support for regional and multilateral 
approaches.  From Vietnam's perspective, the recently 
concluded ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional meeting on 
counterterrorism and transnational crime was "very 
successful."  However, the GVN does not appear to view a CT 
leadership role for itself as "appropriate" for the 
foreseeable future.  The GVN does appear interested in 
further pursuing CT on both multilateral and bilateral 
tracks.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------- 
COMMITTED TO COUNTERTERRORISM 
----------------------------- 
 
2.  (U)  In past ASEAN fora, Vietnam has demonstrated a firm 
commitment to joint action on CT.  At the Eighth ASEAN 
Summit held in Phnom Penh last November, Prime Minister Phan 
Van Khai noted the need for "further cooperation in the 
fight against transnational crime, especially terrorism, 
which is widely spreading in our region."  At the Second 
ASEAN Regional Forum Intersessional Support Group Meeting, 
held in Hanoi in April 2002, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong 
Phung (who co-chaired the meeting) stated the need for ASEAN 
to adopt measures "to strengthen regional cooperation in 
combating terrorism and transnational crimes."  Last July's 
35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Joint Communiqu "affirmed 
ASEAN member countries' determination to enhance 
counterterrorism cooperation. . ."  This meeting also 
resulted in the "Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat 
International Terrorism between ASEAN and the U.S." 
 
3.  (SBU)  According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs ASEAN 
Department (MFA/ASEAN) expert Nguyen Thanh Huy, the GVN "is 
fully committed" to the international struggle against 
terrorism.  (Note:  Huy is a focal point for 
counterterrorism issues within MFA/ASEAN.  End note.)  He 
assessed the first ASEAN Regional Forum intersessional 
meeting on counterterrorism and transnational crime March 20 
- 22 in Kuala Lumpur as "very successful" from Vietnam's 
perspective.  Huy added that the GVN viewed the decision to 
establish a regional CT center in Kuala Lumpur (ref c) was a 
"major step forward."  Huy opined that the meeting also 
helped strengthen ASEAN consensus of opposing terrorism in a 
"collective way."  Separately, Bui Ngoc Anh, Senior 
Researcher at the North America Studies Center of the 
National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities, 
commented that Vietnam had viewed the Kuala Lumpur meeting 
as having a "positive impact" and "reinforcing the need" for 
a multilateral framework to oppose terrorism. 
 
4.  (SBU)  In addition to the MFA, the GVN's delegation to 
the Kuala Lumpur meeting included officials from the 
Ministry Of Defense, Ministry of Public Security, and the 
General Customs Department.  This was "significant," 
according to Huy (who also attended the meeting), because 
delegates from different ministries could (and did) conduct 
"considerable sideline conversations" with their respective 
counterparts from other countries.  Huy noted that delegates 
had discussed the importance of "networking" and 
"intelligence sharing" in order to enhance regional CT 
efforts.  While the GVN "agreed completely" on the need to 
do more of this, Huy admitted that the meeting "did not 
discuss concrete implementation steps."  (Note:  More 
concrete measures may emerge from the ASEAN Senior Officials 
Meeting on Transnational Crimes -- SOMTC -- in Hanoi June 9- 
12 or the SOMTC+US meeting on June 12, which are intended to 
flesh out Brunei's Joint Declaration from August 2002.  End 
note.) 
 
---------------------------- 
GVN LEADERSHIP ROLE UNLIKELY 
---------------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU)  Huy and Anh separately stated that Vietnam was 
unlikely to take a leadership role in ASEAN on the CT issue, 
however.  Huy said that, while Vietnam is "definitely" among 
the strongest of the new ASEAN members, taking a leadership 
role would send a signal that the GVN considers terrorism a 
"major problem" in Vietnam.  He commented that GVN leaders 
preferred to highlight Vietnam's image as a "safe haven." 
Huy admitted that this view "somewhat contradicts" the GVN's 
oft-stated view that terrorism does not adhere to any 
specific boundaries.  However, he opined that the GVN "would 
prefer" to leave the leadership role to countries more "at 
the forefront of terrorism," such as Indonesia, Malaysia, 
and the Philippines.  Anh noted that he would be "very 
surprised" if Vietnam tried to take a more prominent CT role 
within ASEAN.  While Vietnam was indeed "part of the ASEAN 
CT consensus," Anh predicted that it would not be a GVN 
"priority" to take a leadership role on this issue "any time 
soon." 
 
------------------------ 
SUPPORT WITH AN ASTERISK 
------------------------ 
 
6.  (SBU)  While Vietnam has reiterated its CT commitment in 
various fora, that support typically contains caveats 
regarding the need to "respect sovereignty" and ensure "non- 
interference" internal affairs.  The ASEAN - U.S. 
Declaration Against Terrorism similarly noted that "all 
actions against terrorism must be taken in accordance with 
international laws, as well as in respect for the principle 
of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and non- 
interference in the internal affairs of all countries."  The 
North America Studies Center's Anh stressed that Vietnam 
"believes strongly" that CT activities should be carried out 
in accordance with "the UN Charter." 
 
7.  (SBU)  The MFA's Huy reaffirmed that the GVN "is also 
committed" to ratifying the remaining four international 
conventions related to terrorism."  MFA Department of Laws 
and Treaties Deputy Director General Nguyen Truong Giang 
also affirmed this commitment to POL/C in March, without 
being able to offer a specific timeframe (ref B).  Giang 
separately confirmed to poloff that Vietnam plans to accede 
to ASEAN's "Agreement on Information Exchange and 
Establishment of Communication Procedures" signed last May 
by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  "It is only a 
matter of time" until Vietnam accedes, he claimed.  He 
predicted that the GVN will move "relatively quickly" once 
the other countries have ratified the agreement. 
 
--------------- 
PARALLEL TRACKS 
--------------- 
 
8.  (SBU)  Huy and Anh each noted that, while Vietnam was 
strongly committed to the multilateral/ASEAN CT approach, 
the GVN's policy was to also improve cooperation via the 
bilateral track.  Huy pointed out that recent VIP visits 
between ASEAN leaders have invariably included terrorism on 
their agendas.  He cited the recent visit to Hanoi of Than 
Shwe, Senior General and Chairman of Burma's State Peace and 
Development Council, as a case in point (ref D).  Anh added 
that, during Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's 
brief visit to Vietnam last November, counterterrorism was 
similarly on the agenda during her meetings with the GVN 
leadership.  Anh said that this "parallel approach" was 
"quite normal." 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
9.  (SBU)  It is encouraging that the GVN has demonstrated 
its commitment to the CT issue within the ASEAN framework 
and that CT has become a routine agenda item for senior- 
level visits.  It is not surprising that Vietnam has shown 
little interest in assuming a leadership role on the CT 
issue, however; Vietnam tends to play a similar go-along- 
with-the-consensus approach on most other issues within 
ASEAN as well as in APEC, NAM, and UN fora. 
BURGHARDT