HFAC STAFFDEL MIXTER DISCUSSES HUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001301 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND DRL/AWH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KIRF OTRA ECON BM VM SUBJECT: HFAC STAFFDEL MIXTER DISCUSSES HUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS REF: HANOI 598 HANOI 00001301 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Visiting Professional Staff Member Jonathan Cobb Mixter told GVN officials in Hanoi the recent wave of arrests and crackdown on political dissidents was causing serious concern on Capitol Hill and could make it harder to facilitate deeper USG engagement with Vietnam; some members of Congress were especially concerned after advocating hard for Vietnam's recent accession to WTO membership and Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. GVN officials told Mx{cdJNQEnd summary. ¶2. (SBU) Professional Staff Member Jonathan Cobb Mixter Mixter and Associate Don Phan of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) traveled to Vietnam July 4 - 7, 2007 for meetings in Hanoi and President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) project site visits in northeast Quang Ninh Province. In Hanoi, Mixter met with the GVN National Assembly (NA) Foreign Relations Committee; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) International Organization's Department; and the GVN Ministry of Justice (MOJ) as well as NGO Asia Foundation - Vietnam and a local "civil society" NGO. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: "WE HEAR YOUR MESSAGE" -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In a July 5 meeting with Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Foreign Relations Committee, HFAC Q