ASEAN SECRETARIAT UPDATE ON BURMA AND CHARTER

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002960 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENNSITIVE DEP FOR EAP, EAP/RSP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS DEPT FOR EB/ID/OMA DEPT ALSO FOR OES/IET AND OES/ETC/TED TRASURY FOR IA-SETH SEARLS COMMERCE FOR 4430/[GOLIE] E.O. 12598: N/A TAGS: ECON PHUM PREL PGV KDEM ID BM SUBJECT: ASEAN SECRETARIAT UPDATE ON BURMA AND CHARTER REF: A) Jakarta 2817 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy met with Dhannan Sunoto, Principal Director of the ASEAN Secretariat's Bureau for External Relations, on October 22 to discuss the situation in Burma and the latest status of the ASEAN Charter. UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari had met with ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong on October 19, and while Sunoto was SIPDIS not privy to their discussions, he did offer an update on the Secretariat's position on Burma and hopes for the ASEAN Charter, due SIPDIS to be signed next month in Singapore. ASEAN ENGAGEMENT ON BURMA -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Secretariat officials acknowledge that ASEAN does not have a united strategy on how to deal with Burma, but they continue to emphasize that economic engagement, not isolation, will lead to positive change. Secretariat officials agree that ASEAN can serve as an interlocutor in the Burma issue but feel that, based on past experience, the Burmese regime would not welcome an official ASEAN envoy in addition to UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari. Sunoto opined that the Burmese regime prefers dealing with the UN over ASEAN, citing Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid's failed effort to engage with Burma as an ASEAN envoy in 2006. The Burmese government, after delaying Hamid's visit, barred him from meeting with top leadership and Aung San Suu Kyi. STATUS OF ASEAN CHARTER -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Secretariat continues to speculate that member countries will continue with the ASEAN Charter signing next month as scheduled but may delay Burma's signature until the next summit (see reftel A). Given the importance of this milestone in ASEAN integration, member countries do not want Burma to be a barrier to progress. ¶4. (SBU) In an aside, Sunoto also stated that the draft of the ASEAN Charter is complete from the Secretariat's perspective but worried that the Thai parliament's review could lead to last-minute changes and potential delays prior to the Charter signing. The Secretariat expected the Charter signing to be a primarily symbolic gesture, as member governments will then have to individually ratify its contents after the summit. Secretariat officials hope that the Thai government's more thorough up-front review will not hinder the signing next month and will lead to a smoother ratification process after the summit. HUME