GVN RESPONSE TO U.S. ARF INITIATIVES AND ITS ASSESSMENT OF

UNCLAS HANOI 000550 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ARF MARR PARM VM SUBJECT: GVN RESPONSE TO U.S. ARF INITIATIVES AND ITS ASSESSMENT OF ARF PROCESS ARE POSITIVE REF: State 33907 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On March 22, Poloff presented reftel points and proposals on ARF initiatives at the MFA ASEAN Department. While the reaction to the nonproliferation Inter-Sessional Meeting ("ISM") and cooperation statement initiatives was positive, the proposal to create ISM working groups reportedly contradicts a current effort by ASEAN to reduce the number of its meetings. More generally, the GVN views the ARF very positively as a confidence-building measure among its diverse members, particularly their military officials. End summary. Support for U.S. Initiatives Possible -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On March 22, Poloff met with MFA ASEAN Department Assistant Director Vu Ho to deliver reftel points and proposals on U.S. initiatives for the upcoming ARF meeting in Helsinki. Ho began by saying that he would report these initiatives to his leadership for a decision, and that the proposals would have to be discussed among the ASEAN members and considered at the next Senior Officials Meeting. He then informally offered his own views on the initiatives. In response to the proposal to establish an ISM on nonproliferation, Ho asked rhetorically, "If China and Singapore have agreed, then what can we do?" He expressed surprise that Singapore had agreed to co-chair the proposed ISM without having first consulted with ASEAN members, "as they are supposed to do." ¶3. (SBU) Concerning the creation of ISM working groups, Ho said such a move would run counter to a current ASEAN effort to streamline all ASEAN-related meetings, including the ARF. "There are already too many meetings." Also, working groups would have to operate according to the ASEAN consensus principle, which by necessity includes all ASEAN members, so the limit of ten members in a working group could be a problem. Finally, Ho suggested that the Statement of Cooperation "could be worked out somehow." GVN Working on New ARF Initiatives for Next Year -------------- --- ¶4. (SBU) In addition to Ho himself, the GVN delegation to the Helsinki meeting will consist of a junior colleague from the ASEAN Department, a colonel from the Ministry of Defense and an official from the MFA's Consular Department. The GVN will make no proposals at this meeting, but is thinking about several initiatives for 2008. Preliminary ideas are an initiative to combat both the counterfeiting of valuable papers and credit card fraud, as well as a capacity-building initiative to address natural disasters at sea. Ho said both these ideas still need to be approved within the GVN interagency process. ¶5. (SBU) At the upcoming meeting, the GVN delegation plans to share the GVN's experience in coping with a recent oil spill, focusing on the civilian-military cooperation aspect of the effort. The oil spill occurred over one month ago off the Vietnam coast near Vung Tau Province. The source of the oil remains unknown and clean-up efforts continue. GVN Supports the Current ARF Format -------------- ¶6. (SBU) According to Ho, the GVN considers the ARF to be a useful forum for a number of reasons. For example, many countries participate, including small, medium and large "players." Additionally, the "freestyle" nature of the forum is a good format for dialogue. Any government can be involved in a "comfortable way," with no pressure to intervene or to attend particular sessions. Finally, it is the only forum in the region that discusses both traditional security issues and non-traditional issues such as avian influenza and smoke hazard. ¶7. (SBU) ARF meetings are an occasion for "military people to gather and get to know each other," said Ho. When the GVN first sent a delegation to attend the ARF, it sent a general dressed in uniform, carrying a prepared speech. Now an army colonel attends, dressed in a business suit and carrying only some talking points. While critics say the ARF is a "talk shop," it is the "ASEAN way." It works well because it provides the time needed for people to get to know each other. As an advantage of this format, Ho cited the ARF experience of the DPRK, whose delegates walked out of the first meeting they attended, but now they sit through until the end. There has also been an increasingly conciliatory tone to the ARF's statements on the South China Sea problem through the years. Summing up, Ho said the ARF is a good confidence-building measure as long as the participants are moving in tandem on a consensus basis. He compared the ARF to a supermarket where "people can come and get what they want." As a "cross between the UN and a regional talk shop/seminar," the ARF is useful as a "place to express yourself." MARINE