ITALY ON VIETNAMESE MONTAGNARDS: GIVE GVN PROMISE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 004959 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2007 TAGS: PREF PREL VM CB IT UN SUBJECT: ITALY ON VIETNAMESE MONTAGNARDS: GIVE GVN PROMISE A CHANCE REF: A. SECSTATE 194170 ¶B. ROME 1162 CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 04959 131338Z ¶1. (C) ON OCTOBER 10 AT THE MFA, POLOFF MET WITH TIZIANA MARINI, DEPUTY OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS, TO DELIVER REF A DEMARCHE ON PROTECTING VIETNAMESE MONTAGNARDS. AS HER PREDECESSOR RESPONDED TO THE PREVIOUS DEMARCHE ON THIS ISSUE (REF B),MARINI SAID THAT THE GOI WAS ACTING WITHIN EU POLICY. SHE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE GOI WAS CLOSELY MONITORING THE SITUATION AND WELL AWARE OF THE NEED TO MAINTAIN PRESSURE ON THE GVN AND RGC. ¶2. (C) MARINI SHARED DETAILS ON BOTH THE EU'S APPROACH AND ITALY'S POINT OF VIEW. IN APRIL, THE EU DEMARCHED THE RGC ON THE NEED TO ABIDE BY THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS AND COOPERATE WITH UNHCR. IN ADDITION, IT HAD DEMARCHED THE GVN ON THE NEED TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION OF CENTRAL HIGHLANDERS. SHE NOTED THAT THE VIETNAMESE CONSTITUTION GUARANTEES FREEDOM OF RELIGION AS LONG AS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE POLITICAL SYSTEM. THE GVN REGARDS SOME PROTESTANT SECTS AMONG THE MONTAGNARDS AS BEING COMMITTED TO THE OVERTHROW OF THE ESTABLISHED POLITICAL ORDER. ¶3. (C) IN MAY, AN EU DELEGATION VISITED VIETNAM AND THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, WHERE IT MET WITH PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES. WHILE THE EU HAS PROVIDED AID TO THAT AREA, IT IS STILL QUITE UNDERDEVELOPED. THE GVN MADE A COMMITMENT TO THE DELEGATION TO PRIORITIZE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS WHERE ETHNIC MINORITIES LIKE THE MONTAGNARDS LIVE. GVN OFFICIALS CONSIDER THOSE WHO HAVE FLED THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS FOR CAMBODIA TO BE ECONOMIC MIGRANTS, NOT REFUGEES. WHILE NOT TAKING A POSITION ON THE REASON FOR THE OUTFLOW OF VIETNAMESE MONTAGNARDS, MARINI STATED THAT THE GOI TOOK THE GVN DEVELOPMENT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 04959 131338Z COMMITMENT AT FACE VALUE AND WAS WAITING TO SEE HOW IT WOULD PLAY OUT. MEANWHILE, THE GOI HAS SIGNED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (IFAD) AN AGREEMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN VIETNAM. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME04959 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL