THAILAND REACTION TO UNSCR 1747

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 001904 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV TH SUBJECT: THAILAND REACTION TO UNSCR 1747 REF: SECSTATE 37801 Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton. Reason 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to First Secretaries Nuchjaree Klongsungsorn, Pimpiree Pyramarn and SIPDIS Chakkrid Krachaiwong from the Departments of International Organizations, Middle East, and North America Affairs, respectively, on March 29. Nuchjaree confirmed that the Royal Thai Government (RTG) intends to fully comply with UNSCR 1747 and deliver a report on RTG implementation by the May deadline. Pimpiree pointed to the RTG's full compliance with UNSCR 1737, saying that Thailand has very limited trade with Iran, and no connections to Tehran's nuclear program. Both Nuchjaree and Pimpiree expressed some frustration with the wording of article seven, calling it "vague" and "not clear enough." ¶2. (C) In response to poloff's query on the overall trajectory of Thai-Iranian bilateral relations, Pimpiree dismissed accounts from Iranian media sources suggesting a trade agreement was in the offing. According to Pimpiree, exploratory talks in advance of a trade agreement began in the mid 1990s, but have failed to move forward, in part due to Tehran's unwillingness to include specific intellectual property rights protections in any deal. Talks "remain stalled" as both sides are still "very far apart." Pimpiree characterized bilateral ties as lacking in substance, and defined largely by limited cultural, educational and athletic exchanges. She further suggested that, given Iran's intransigence in the face of UNSCR's 1737 and 1747, RTG leaders were looking to let ties with Tehran cool off in the near term. ARVIZU