AMBASSADOR HANFORD MEETS WITH MFA VICE MINISTER BANG:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002360 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV CASC VM SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HANFORD MEETS WITH MFA VICE MINISTER BANG: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, PRESIDENT'S VISIT, PRISONERS OF CONCERN REF: A) HANOI 2358; B) HANOI 1880; C) HANOI 2152 and previous Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During an August 18 meeting with IRF Ambassador John Hanford, Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang acknowledged that implementation of the GVN's framework on religion has been slow in the north because of local officials' concerns about preserving their power. However, the USG should have no doubt that the GVN will honor its religious freedom commitments even after WTO accession. Bang promised to raise with his superiors Hanford's request for a roadmap letter on religious freedom. The GVN hopes that the President's November visit will be a success and is working on several summit deliverables besides WTO, including a number of commercial deals. The GVN will unconditionally release prisoners of concern Dr. Pham Hong Son and religious dissident Ma Van Bay on September 2, and may consider releasing Phan Van Ban on the condition that he departs for the United States. The GVN also will allow AmCit De Pham Lifvenborg to travel to Singapore to give birth. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom John Hanford, accompanied by the Ambassador, met August 18 with Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang. Bang was upbeat and hopeful that an agreement could soon be reached regarding Vietnam's Country of Particular Concern (CPC) status. Ambassador Hanford reiterated Ref A points concerning USG desires for further progress in the weeks ahead and emphasized the importance of receiving a letter from Bang outlining GVN intentions over the next year in the area of religious freedom. ¶3. (SBU) VFM Bang asserted that the USG should have no fears that Vietnam might backtrack on its religious freedom promises after the PNTR issue has been settled because the GVN "always follows through with its commitments." He also asserted that he personally "always follows through with commitments made in his letters to foreign governments." However, he could not commit to the idea of a roadmap letter until he has vetted the idea with his superiors. The Vice Minister also revealed that he nearly lost his position after the May 2005 exchange of letters, as they were quickly referred to as "an agreement" in the United States. GVN hardliners were very upset at that characterization, Bang noted. ¶5. (SBU) Implementation of Vietnam's religious framework has been slow in the northern provinces, but this is largely because "local officials remain jealous of their power," VFM Bang continued. This continues to make it difficult to accelerate implementation. He noted that Ambassador Marine recently experienced these attitudes of local officials first-hand in Bac Giang Province (Ref B). The Ambassador agreed that the local officials' handling of the Bac Giang Baptist situation seems to be a microcosm of the larger northern implementation problem, but thanked VFM Bang and his ministry for helping to arrange the visit. President's Visit -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Bang stated that the GVN would very much like to make the President's November visit a "double success." First, the GVN hopes that the President's participation will make the APEC Leaders' Meeting "a substantive success." More important, in the GVN's view, is the hope that the bilateral component of the President's visit will showcase the expanding relationship between the two nations and "cement the United States' role in Southeast Asia." To set the stage for these successes, the GVN has been focusing on several key deliverables for the President's visit. A multilateral WTO accession agreement is nearly finished, although the final PNTR vote may not happen before the APEC summit. Furthermore, the GVN has finalized its satellite deal with Lockheed-Martin and is considering closing other important commercial deals (NFI). Prisoners of Concern -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Bang confirmed that the GVN will release prisoners of concern Dr. Pham Hong Son and Ma Van Bay within days as part of the September 2 National Day amnesty. He also disputed Ministry of Public Security Vice Minister Huong's assertion earlier on August 18 that Son's release is conditional on his going to the United States (septel). The Ambassador asked if prisoner of concern Phan Van Ban will also be considered for release. Bang replied that he cannot be considered for amnesty because he has not yet served half of his sentence. However, as Ban's son is an AmCit, the GVN may be willing to consider a deal to release him on the condition that he departs for the United States. The Ambassador also reiterated his request to visit the fourth prisoner of concern, dissident Nguyen Vu Binh, in prison. HANOI 00002360 002 OF 002 AMCIT Case -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador asked if AmCit De Pham Lifvenborg (Ref C) will be allowed to travel to Singapore in order to receive medical care related to her childbirth. Bang answered that the GVN had decided that morning to allow her to leave for "humanitarian reasons." However, he asked the Ambassador to affirm that she would return to Vietnam so that the GVN could continue to investigate her involvement in the ABN-AMRO case. The Ambassador said that Pham has committed to returning to Vietnam after giving birth in Singapore, but added that the USG cannot force her to return if she does not honor this commitment. ¶9. (SBU) Ambassador Hanford cleared this message. MARINE