ADMIRAL FALLON'S CALLS ON THE SULTAN AND CROWN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000148


SINGAPORE FOR DAO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2026
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV BX
SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON'S CALLS ON THE SULTAN AND CROWN
PRINCE OF BRUNEI

Classified By: Ambassador Emil Skodon, Reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (C) Visiting USPACOM Commander, Admiral William Fallon,
accompanied by Ambassador Skodon and POLAD Huso, had an audience
March 1 with the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hossanal Bolkiah. Also
in attendance was the Commander of the Brunei Armed Forces,
Major General Halbi. The Sultan, dressed in the uniform of a
five star Admiral, put on a good show for the television cameras
and press photographers by gratefully accepting a native Hawaiian
gift offered by the Admiral at the start of the meeting and
listening closely to Admiral Fallon's explanation of its
significance.


2. (C) After the cameras were ushered from the room, the Sultan
began the discussion by asking the Admiral for his impressions of
the peace process in Aceh. The Admiral said he was encouraged by
what he had observed in Aceh and by his discussion with President
Yudhoyono. The Aceh Monitoring Mission was effective in carrying
out its role and the TNI was complying fully with direction from
the President. The critical next step will be legislation
enabling the GAM to function in a political party role. The Sultan
agreed with the Admiral's analysis and said that Brunei would
continue to provide monitors to the AMM and would support an
extension of their mission. Regarding the terrorist threat, the
Sultan also agreed with the Admiral's assessment that increased
cooperation to interdict terrorist transit routes in the Sulawesi
should be a key area of concern for the region.


3. (C) The Sultan expressed his strong view that the U.S. presence
in and commitment to the region was important to security and
stability. He characterized Brunei's relations with the U.S. as
"very good." He cited with evident pride the recent acceptance of
a Bruneian cadet into West Point as an example of what he hoped
would be more training and education opportunities. He also recalled
how much he had enjoyed his visits to U.S. aircraft carriers and
welcomed continued U.S. ship visits. In response to the Admiral's
query regarding his vision for Brunei's future engagement in the
world, the Sultan suggested he would remain focused on relations with
his neighbors and within ASEAN. Asked to comment on Iraq, the Sultan
begged off, saying Brunei is "too far" from the Middle East.


4. (C) The Sultan asked about USG relations with China, U.S. energy
policy, and the political situation in Manila. He listened closely to
the points made by Admiral Fallon and appeared engaged, interested, and
reasonably well informed regarding current events and U.S. policies.
This contrasted with Crown Prince Billah, on whom Admiral Fallon paid a
courtesy call just before his meeting with the Sultan. Although the
Admiral tried repeatedly to engage the Crown Prince in a substantive
discussion by posing open-ended questions, His Royal Highness was
unwilling (or unable) to respond with much other than simple platitudes
along the lines of "Brunei desires friendly relations with all
countries."


5. (C) Comment: Following as it did after mention of Brunei's
involvement in the Aceh and Mindanao monitoring missions, the Sultan's
comment that Iraq was "too far" from Brunei was probably a polite way of
saying "so don,t ask me to contribute troops to Iraq." As for Crown
Prince Billah, although he has recently been making the rounds of
government ministries for in-depth briefing sessions, including the
Ministry of Defense, he clearly does not yet have the self-confidence
(perhaps justifiably) to engage in substantive discussion of security
issues with a senior western military officer. End Comment.


6. (U) Admiral Fallon has cleared this message.


SKODON