PARTY OFFICIAL OPTIMISTIC ON BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP

UNCLAS HANOI 002812 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL VM SUBJECT: PARTY OFFICIAL OPTIMISTIC ON BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: A SENIOR COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) FOREIGN RELATIONS OFFICIAL, BUI THE GIANG, EMPHASIZED THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 02812 260838Z POSITIVE IN THE US-VIETNAM BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP IN AN OCTOBER 24 COURTESY CALL WITH CHARGE. HE PREDICTED THAT MORE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES WOULD PROVE EFFECTIVE IN OVERCOMING LINGERING TENSIONS AND BITTERNESS. HE WARMLY THANKED CHARGE FOR THE EMBASSY'S USD 35,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE VIETNAM RED CROSS' FLOOD RELIEF PROGRAM. GIANG INDICATED THAT PASSAGE OF THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT WAS ONE OF TWO TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NEXT MONTH. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) BUI THE GIANG, DIRECTOR OF THE PEOPLE TO PEOPLE RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE CPV CENTRAL COMMITTEE'S COMMISSION FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS, MET WITH CHARGE DURING A COURTESY CALL AT CPV HEADQUARTERS. HE DESCRIBED THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF VIETNAM'S FOREIGN RELATIONS AS STATE-TO-STATE, PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE, AND PARTY-TO-PARTY, WITH THE MFA, THE VIETNAM UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE PARTY COMMISSION FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS RESPECTIVELY RESPONSIBLE. GIANG SAID THAT HE AND HIS STAFF OF EIGHT, AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONLY PARTY, "ADVISE" AND COORDINATE THE ACTIVITIES OF PEOPLES' GROUPS IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH FOREIGN COUNTERPARTS. ASIDE FROM HANDLING TRADITIONAL RELATIONS WITH OTHER COMMUNIST PARTIES, GIANG EXPLAINED WHEN ASKED, THAT THE CPV HAS RELATIONSHIPS WITH RULING PARTIES IN MANY COUNTRIES, CITING JAPAN'S LDP AND MALAYSIA'S UMNO AMONG OTHERS. HE SAID THAT BOTH MAJOR U.S. PARTIES HAD DECLINED CPV INQUIRIES ABOUT OPENING RELATIONS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE FORMAL RELATIONS WITH ANY OVERSEAS POLITICAL PARTIES. ¶3. (SBU) WHEN ASKED ABOUT BTA RATIFICATION ISSUES, GIANG UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 02812 260838Z ANSWERED THAT RATIFICATION "DEPENDED ON DEVELOPMENTS," PRESUMABLY REFERRING PRIMARILY TO THE FATE OF THE VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS ACT IN THE US SENATE. GIANG ECHOED CPV GENERAL SECRETARY NONG DUC MANH'S REMARKS EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT THE SIPDIS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S TOP TWO PRIORITIES FOR ITS UPCOMING SESSION ARE THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND THE BTA. GIANG SAID THAT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WOULD CAREFULLY STUDY THE BTA SINCE IT IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT VIETNAM HAS EVER UNDERTAKEN. WITHOUT EXPLICITLY SAYING THAT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WOULD PASS THE BTA, HE SAID THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD AFTERWARD SIGN IT WITHOUT DELAY. ¶4. (SBU) DIRECTOR GIANG EMPHASIZED THE POSITIVE IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, WARMLY THANKING CHARGE FOR THE EMBASSY'S USD 35,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE VIETNAM RED CROSS FOR MEKONG RIVER FLOOD VICTIMS EARLIER IN THE DAY. HE POINTED OUT LANGUAGE IN THE NATIONAL POLICY SETTING REPORT OF THIS YEAR'S NINTH NATIONAL COMMUNIST PARTY CONGRESS THAT "VIETNAM IS READY TO BE A FRIEND AND PARTNER WITH ALL COUNTRIES," CONTRASTING IT WITH THE SEVENTH CPV CONGRESS'S 1991 REPORT IN WHICH VIETNAM "WISHED TO BE A FRIEND OF ALL COUNTRIES." ACCORDING TO GIANG, THIS MEANS THAT VIETNAM IS MATURE ENOUGH AND PREPARED TO BE A FRIEND AND PARTNER TO COUNTRIES "INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES." HE EXPRESSED A BELIEF THAT WHILE THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS, THE OVERALL TREND IS UPWARD. NOTING HIS PERSONAL STAKE IN THE BTA, ACQUIRED THROUGH WORKING ON IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE OFFERED HIS OFFICE AS A POINT OF CONTACT IN TIMES OF NEED. ¶5. (SBU) GIANG AND CHARGE DISCUSSED THE LINGERING UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 02812 260838Z BITTERNESS FELT BY SOME ON BOTH SIDES LEFT OVER FROM THE VIETNAM WAR. NOTING THAT THIS BITTERNESS IS A "CHRONIC IRRITANT" IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, GIANG SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THAT PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES WERE QUITE EFFECTIVE IN OVERCOMING THESE OLD TENSIONS. HE CITED INSTANCES INVOLVING BOTH OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE AND "AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS" IN WHICH PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THEIR FORMER OPPONENTS FOES BROKE DOWN OLD HATREDS. GIANG CONTRASTED THE PATH OF U.S. RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM TO THOSE OF POST-WORLD WAR II GERMANY OR JAPAN, OBSERVING THAT IN THE US-VIETNAM CASE, PEOPLE TEND TO "CLING TO THE PAST." HOWEVER, HE TOOK A FAVORABLE VIEW OF US-VIETNAM RELATIONS IN THE LONG-TERM COMPARED WITH THOSE BETWEEN VIETNAM AND CHINA, CITING WHAT HE SAID WAS A FAVORITE SAYING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: "HEY GUYS, WHEN THE WESTERNERS LEAVE, THE CHINESE WILL COME AGAIN." PORTER UNCLASSIFIED