ASEAN PROPOSAL FOR AN ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP WITH

UNCLAS BANGKOK 004695

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL TH
SUBJECT: ASEAN PROPOSAL FOR AN ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE U.S.

REF: STATE 133155


1. (SBU) Poloff delivered points contained in reftel to MFA
Department of ASEAN Affairs Director Nopporn Adchariyavanich
on July 20. Nopporn noted that the Thai proposal for an
enhanced ASEAN-U.S. partnership had been raised at the
ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue in Washington last month and has the
approval of the other ASEAN members. Nopporn said that at
the Vientiane ASEAN conference later this month Thai Foreign
Minister Kantathi will call for establishment of a
comprehensive ASEAN-U.S. strategic partnership that will go
beyond political and security relations to include economic,
trade and cultural ties. Nopporn said that the RTG will call
for an agreement with mutually agreed upon, long term
timelines and goals for the relationship.


2. (SBU) Nopporn said that with a statement of support for
the Thai proposal by the U.S. side at the Vientiane
Ministerial, the ASEAN-U.S. Informal Coordinating Mechanism
should be tasked at its next meeting in the U.S. this October
with drafting the partnership document. Nopporn said that
based on earlier ASEAN partnership agreements with China,
Japan and India, the drafting process should take
approximately a year.
BOYCE