VIETNAM POSTIVE ON THE BRUNEI ARF SOM

UNCLAS HANOI 001400 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER MARR VM ASEAN CTERR SUBJECT: VIETNAM POSTIVE ON THE BRUNEI ARF SOM ¶1. (SBU) DURING A WORKING LUNCH ON MAY 30, MFA ASEAN DEPARTMENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL PHAM HUU CHI DESCRIBED VIETNAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM (ARF) SENIOR OFFICIALS MEETING IN BRUNEI AS "RATHER SATISFIED," RATING HIGHLY ESPECIALLY BRUNEI'S LEADERSHIP AS THE CHAIR. CHI COMMENTED FAVORABLY ON BRUNEI'S ABILITY TO KEEP THE DISCUSSIONS MOVING AND ON THE SOLID CONSENSUS AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS ABOUT COOPERATION ON COUNTER-TERRORISM. HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE DISCUSSION ON "CONCRETE" PROPOSALS THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO DEAL WITH TERRORISM. CHI NOTED IN PARTICULAR THAT THE STRONG STATEMENT FROM THE ASEAN LEADERS' MEETING LAST YEAR NEEDED TO BE FLESHED OUT FURTHER. CHI RECOGNIZED THAT THIS WOULD NOT LIKELY OCCUR AT THIS SUMMER'S ASEAN MINISTERIAL ARF MEETINGS, BUT THAT THE MINISTERS COULD AND SHOULD SET A GENERAL POLICY DIRECTION ON WHICH WORKING LEVEL INDIVIDUALS WILL FOLLOW UP. VIETNAM HOPES THAT SPECIFICS WILL EMERGE FROM THE NEW ZEALAND-HOSTED ISG MEETING THIS NOVEMBER. CHI EXPRESSED A STRONG PREFERENCE THAT WORKING LEVEL OFFICIALS FROM THE MINISTRIES OF DEFENSE AND PUBLIC SECURITY OFFICIALS ATTEND THAT MEETING, BUT ADMITTED THAT FUNDING TRAVEL FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS MIGHT POSE A DIFFICULTY FOR THE GVN. ¶3. (SBU) CHI ALSO DESCRIBED A "PRODUCTIVE" DISCUSSION ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA. WHILE TAKING MUCH LONGER THAN SCHEDULED, THESE TALKS WERE "VERY WORTHWHILE," HE SAID. CHI EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE INITIAL NORTH KOREAN PRESENTATION WAS SOMEWHAT NEGATIVE, BUT SATISFACTION THAT AFTER OTHER INTERVENTIONS -- INCLUDING VIETNAM'S -- THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 01400 310948Z NORTH KOREANS APPEARED TO ADOPT A SOFTER STANCE. CHI ALSO RECOUNTED IN BRIEF THE SHORTER DISCUSSION ON DEVELOPMENTS IN BURMA, STATING A GENERAL VIEW THAT THE RECENT RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAD BEEN A POSITIVE STEP, BUT THAT MORE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO NORMALIZE THE SITUATION. ¶4. (SBU) CHI EXPRESSED SOME CONCERN ABOUT CAMBODIA'S ABILITY TO HANDLE THE ASEAN CHAIRMANSHIP OVER THE NEXT YEAR. HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT CAMBODIA HAD SENT A DELEGATION TO OBSERVE HOW VIETNAM HAD ORGANIZED THE 2001 MEETINGS, AND PREDICTED THAT THE ASEAN SECRETARIAT AND SOME MEMBER STATES -- PROBABLY INCLUDING VIETNAM -- WILL ALSO OFFER TEMPORARY PERSONNEL SUPPORT TO PHNOM PENH DURING ITS TENURE AS CHAIRMAN. ¶5. (SBU) CHI SAID THAT ONLY CHINA HAD EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN'S ENTRY INTO THE ARF; ASEAN MEMBERS ARE STILL IN A WAIT-AND-SEE MODE ON HOW THE PAKISTAN/INDIA SITUATION DEVELOPS. HE EXPRESSED WHAT HE SAID WAS A GENERAL ASEAN CONCERN THAT, WITH BOTH INDIA AND PAKISTAN IN ARF, "IT WOULD ALTER THE FOCUS OF ARF AWAY FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA." CHI NONETHELESS EXPRESSED OPTIMISM ABOUT THE FIRST ASEAN-INDIA SUMMIT, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE IN PHNOM PENH FOLLOWING THE ASEAN LEADERS' SUMMIT. HE DESCRIBED PHNOM PENH AS INDIA'S BEST ALLY WITHIN ASEAN. ¶6. (SBU) CHI NOTED THAT ASEAN MEETINGS IN GENERAL HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY PRODUCTIVE AND SERIOUS SINCE THE ECONOMIC CRISIS OF 1997; THEY ARE NOTABLY LESS OF AN EXCUSE FOR SENIOR-LEVEL GOLF VACATIONS AND KARAOKE SESSIONS. PORTER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 01400 310948Z UNCLASSIFIED