S/E LEFKOWITZ MEETING WITH VIETNAMESE PERM REP

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 001542 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2011 TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM PGOV KN KS VM SUBJECT: S/E LEFKOWITZ MEETING WITH VIETNAMESE PERM REP Classified By: Political Counselor William Brencick, for reasons 1.4 b, d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Special Envoy Jay Lefkowitz met with Vietnamese Perm Rep Le Luong Minh to discuss North Korean refugees. While professing a lack of knowledge about North Korean refugees in Vietnam, Perm Rep Minh took note of our interest in this issue and said he would report this to his capital. Minh did not indicate that Vietnam would not cooperate with us on the issue of North Korean refugees. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Meeting on August 11 at the Vietnamese Mission to the UN, Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea Jay Lefkowitz met with Vietnamese Perm Rep Le Luong Minh. Also joining were G/SENK Senior Advisor Christian Whiton and USUN note taker Bridget Lines on the U.S. side, and Second Secretary Nguyen Ha An on the Vietnamese side. SIPDIS ¶3. (C) Special Envoy Lefkowitz began by providing background on the creation of his position and his appointment by the President. He noted the President Bush,s interest in North Korean human rights and refugees. He stated our interest in working quietly with governments in the region, including Vietnam, in securing the safety of North Korean refugees, including resettling some in the U.S. ¶4. (C) Perm Rep Minh said he was not aware of our interest in the issue. Responding to a question from Special Envoy Lefkowitz, Minh said he did not know how many North Koreans were present in Vietnam. Minh noted that, in principle, any refugees in Vietnam would have entered the country illegally and would have to be &sent back.8 He then said that discussing the transfer of refugees was purely hypothetical since it remains unclear whether or not any North Korean refugees are currently in Vietnam. Minh asked if we had raised this with other governments in the region, to which Special Envoy Lefkowitz responded that we had. Senior Advisor Whiton provided background information on the North Korean diaspora and the treatment of North Korean refugees by the Chinese government. ¶5. (C) After noting that Vietnam had allowed several hundred North Koreans to resettle to Seoul in 2004, Special Envoy Lefkowitz said that we had started to bring small numbers of North Korean refugees to the U.S. He said that when North Korean refugees in Vietnam appeal to the U.S. for help, we would like to be able to help them reach safety, and would appreciate the cooperation of the Vietnamese government in this. He noted that any actions we undertake would be discreet. ¶6. (C) Perm Rep Minh noted that Vietnam has good relations with the U.S., adding that he looked forward to President Bush,s upcoming November visit, and that he would convey our interest in the issue to his capital. YY SHANGHAI VIENTIANE PHNOM PENH TOKYO MOSCOW Y BOLTON