FM YEO ON U.S. ENGAGEMENT WITH EAST ASIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 000093

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD ECON SN
SUBJECT: FM YEO ON U.S. ENGAGEMENT WITH EAST ASIA

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold. Reasons 1.4(b)(d)


1. (C) Summary: In a very cordial introductory call, Foreign
Minister George Yeo sketched out for the Ambassador
Singapore's hopes for a new East Asian architecture and
emphasized the need for the United States to remain actively
engaged with the region as it begins building this new
structure. The United States' announcement, with the ASEAN
leaders who participate in APEC, of the Joint Vision
Statement on the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership had been
"very deft" and well received, said the Minister. Yeo urged
the United States to push forward with an FTA with Malaysia
and continue to improve contact and cooperation with the
military and government of Indonesia. The Ambassador thanked
the Minister for Singapore's support in Iraq and emphasized
the positive effect a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty would
have on law enforcement cooperation. She urged Singapore to
continue building on our joint efforts against proliferation,
and pressed Singapore to lift its ban on U.S. beef quickly.
End Summary.

New Architecture Evolving in East Asia
--------------


2. (C) After warmly welcoming the Ambassador to her new
posting, Minister Yeo described for her an Asia that was
changing rapidly, growing quickly and eagerly embracing the
future. Asian parents, he said, see tremendous opportunities
to better the lives of their children and are looking ahead
very optimistically, especially in countries like China,
India, Vietnam and Thailand. These rapid changes, however,
also bring political tensions and Singapore worries about
what kinds of new structures will arise to link Asia together
and with the rest of the world. The "old frameworks" have
outlived their usefulness, he averred. In Singapore's
calculations, the ideal outcome is that the United States
continues to stay firmly engaged with Asia and plays an
active role in the evolution of the new framework.

Importance of the EAS
--------------


3. (C) The desire to shape the future architecture in Asia
drove Singapore to embrace the creation of the East Asia
Summit (EAS),said Yeo. Southeast Asia had to find a way to
engage with "the two behemoths" India and China as they
emerged and also began to deal with each other. ASEAN had
been gratified that EAS members had reached a consensus that
ASEAN would "remain in the driver's seat," he said, adding
that China had been very supportive of this outcome and had
scored points with ASEAN delegations for being easy to work
with in the run-up to the Summit. The EAS could even provide
a convenient venue for increased meetings between China,
Korea and Japan, and ASEAN could play a positive, neutral
role in facilitating this, claimed Yeo. The EAS needs to be
outward-looking. Singapore wants the United States to find
ways to engage with it, he stated.


4. (C) The Ambassador pointed out that the United States had
not been invited to the EAS and she asked how the Minister
would propose we "engage" with it. Yeo urged the United
States to "think through its attitude" toward the EAS,
perhaps with a view toward an eventual observership. Short of
that, the Ambassador asked, what other means of engagement
would prove useful? Yeo was highly complimentary of the
"deft" way the United States had brought about the Joint
Vision Statement on the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership at
APEC; we had found a way to give recognition to the
U.S.-ASEAN relationship, while avoiding the problems of
dealing directly with Burma. This gesture had made a
positive impression on friends in ASEAN. Another example,
said Yeo, was the group meeting President Bush held with
ASEAN leaders on the margins of the APEC Summit; these should
become a regular feature each year. The United States'
assistance to Indonesia after the tsunami had greatly shifted
Indonesian views toward us; our increased engagement with
President Yudhoyono and the Indonesian military have been a
big step forward. Yeo further urged the United States to
push ahead on a Free Trade Agreement with Malaysia.

Bilateral Cooperation
--------------


5. (C) Turning to bilateral topics, the Ambassador expressed
the United States' gratitude for the military and political
support Singapore had rendered to us in Iraq as a Coalition
Partner. Yeo responded that our success in Iraq was
absolutely essential. The Ambassador highlighted the
importance to both sides of making progress on a Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and increasing cooperation against
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Yeo
acknowledged the Ambassador's point about MLAT progress being
very slow and explained that Singapore remains concerned
about setting precedents with us that would lead to increased
demands from neighboring countries such as Indonesia. That
said, he felt confident we could find ways to address each
side's concerns and reach a good agreement. On
proliferation, he remarked that the United States and
Singapore had the same concerns and good cooperation would
continue.

Beef Ban
--------------


6. (C) The Ambassador raised the continuing ban on U.S. beef,
eliciting an immediate sigh of frustration from Yeo regarding
the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) -- "they have a
small staff and conservative views, so they are very slow,"
he exclaimed. Yeo cited several instances when, as Trade
Minister, he had wrangled with AVA on unreasonable bans on
imports of various food items. "But now that Japan has
lifted the ban, we can't lag far behind," he noted.


7. (C) In closing, the Minister went to some length to
express his deep appreciation for the assistance the Embassy,
the USG and the Tennessee authorities had rendered to him and
his family when his son was being treated for leukemia at St.
Jude Hospital in Memphis.
HERBOLD