MFA ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, U.S. REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 000142

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2016
TAGS: PREL ETRD PHSA KNNP ECON SN
SUBJECT: MFA ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, U.S. REGIONAL
PRESENCE

Classified By: Acting E/P Counselor Christopher Kavanagh. Reasons 1.4(
d)


1. (C) Summary: During a January 18 courtesy call by the
Ambassador, MFA Permanent Secretary Peter Ho said Singapore
shared our concern about Iran's recent actions on its nuclear
program. Iran appeared impervious to outside pressure, he
added. The Ambassador raised the importance of concluding a
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and Ho said Singapore
was committed to it as well. Ho stressed that the strong
influence of the United States was essential to regional
peace and stability and Singapore encouraged a robust U.S.
military presence in Southeast Asia. End Summary.

Iran's Nuclear Program
--------------


2. (C) During a January 18 courtesy call, the Ambassador
thanked MFA Permanent Secretary Peter Ho for Singapore's
continued support to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear
ambitions. Ho said Singapore was concerned about Iran's
recent actions on its nuclear program and President
Ahmadinejad's extreme comments about Israel. Despite the
fact that the Europeans and the United States were working
together and even Russia seemed more concerned about Iran's
behavior, the Iranians appeared impervious to outside
pressure. Some have argued that Iran was bent on a nuclear
weapons capability as the only way to guarantee its security;
however, it was very worrying that Iran appeared interested
in using nuclear weapons for more than just deterrence, Ho
commented.

PSI
---


3. (SBU) Since Singapore participated in the Proliferation
Security Initiative (PSI),the Ambassador asked how we could
encourage other countries in Southeast Asia to join. Ho
responded that it would take time to alleviate their concerns
about PSI. Including them as observers at PSI exercises
would help keep the dialogue going and show them how PSI
really operated. He added that the GOS was interested in
supply chain security and saw PSI as well as the Container
Security Initiative (CSI) as important elements of that.

MLAT
--------------


4. (SBU) The Ambassador raised the importance of concluding a
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore to
enhance our law enforcement cooperation. Ho said Singapore
was committed to an MLAT and both sides were working to
address mutual concerns. While the Attorney General's
Chambers was managing the talks for the GOS, MFA would
monitor the progress to make sure it didn't drag on.

Foreign Policy Objectives
--------------


5. (SBU) Singapore's foreign policy has two objectives,
stated Ho. First, it sought regional peace and stability.
This depended on the strong influence of the United States
and was a prerequisite for economic progress. Singapore
concluded the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and 2005
Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) to encourage and
facilitate a robust U.S. military presence in Southeast Asia,
he noted. At the same time, Singapore sought friendly
relations with other countries in the region and to create
structures, most notably ASEAN, to guide those relations.
With the East Asia Summit (EAS),Singapore supported an
inclusive approach. With the rise of China and India
changing the dynamics in the region, the new regional
architecture would be important for the future of the region.
Second, Singapore needed access to foreign markets to
support its economy. The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
was an important part of that strategy. Singapore was also
looking to India and the Middle East for new trade
opportunities.
HERBOLD