GENERAL PACE'S JUNE 4 MEETINGS WITH PM ABDULLAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 001001

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017
TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PREL PTER KISL OVIP MY
SUBJECT: GENERAL PACE'S JUNE 4 MEETINGS WITH PM ABDULLAH
AND DPM NAJIB

Classified By: CDA David B. Shear, reasons 1.4 (b, d).

Summary
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1. (C) Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Deputy
Prime Minister/Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak endorsed
current military-to-military cooperation with the U.S. in
their separate meetings on June 4 with Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace and the Ambassador. DPM
Najib described the bilateral military relationship as
"outstanding" and called for the two countries to "do more of
what we are doing now." General Pace congratulated Malaysia
on its success in reducing piracy in the Straits of Malacca
and Najib described Malaysia's priority in safeguarding
Sabah. Abdullah commented on East Asia security, noting the
importance of ASEAN Plus 3 and ARF, and the necessity of
multilateral engagement with China. Najib remarked that the
security situation in southern Thailand was worsening and he
appeared anxious for Malaysia to assume a mediating role.
Abdullah focused much of his comments on Muslim world issues,
calling for engagement with Hamas, talks without
preconditions with Iran, and the avoidance of military action
against Iran. Abdullah said intra-Muslim fighting in Iraq
"is very embarrassing for me," and remarked on the need to
build national unity in Iraq to allow for the pull-out of
U.S. forces. General Pace briefed on the Iraq and
Afghanistan situations and called on Malaysia to do its part
to bolster governance in Afghanistan. General Pace commended
Malaysia for its peacekeeping leadership. The General also
explained plans to pursue greater common understanding among
nations of the global terrorist threat. The atmospherics in
both meetings were friendly. PM Abdullah conveyed an
invitation for President Bush to attend Malaysia's 50th
independence anniversary celebration on August 31. End
Summary.

Malaysian Leaders Endorse Bilateral Military Cooperation
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2. (C) General Pace, accompanied by the Ambassador, called
on Prime Minister Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister/Defense
Minister Najib for separate meetings on June 4, during
General Pace's June 3-4 working visit to Malaysia. Malaysian
Armed Forces Chief General Abdul Aziz Zainal joined both
meetings. General Pace thanked both Malaysian leaders for
their good cooperation with the U.S. military, including an
increasing number of U.S. ship visits, joint military
exercises and trainings. The interactions with Malaysia's
military were beneficial for U.S. forces. General Pace noted
that we were pleased to have a new ability to provide some
needed radars for use in Sabah. He added that the U.S. hoped
to find more ways to work together with the Malaysian
military in line with Malaysia's interests and sovereignty.


3. (C) PM Abdullah conveyed his appreciation for U.S.
military engagement with Malaysia and stated that "we should
continue our defense cooperation" for the security interests
of both countries. DPM Najib described bilateral military
cooperation as "outstanding," and he expressed appreciation
for U.S. assistance particularly with training, including
IMET, and joint exercises. U.S. Navy port calls were "well
received" and these sent "a good signal to the outside world"
that the U.S. has "a high level of confidence" in Malaysia
and its security. The exchange of intelligence at the
strategic and tactical level was also beneficial. Najib said
U.S. assistance was in line with his own concept of sharing
the security burden represented by Malaysia's maritime
boundaries, noting that "we are stretched thin in many
areas." In terms of future bilateral military cooperation,
Najib stated that the U.S. and Malaysia "should do more of
what we are doing now."

Reducing Piracy in Straits of Malacca; Guarding Sabah
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4. (C) General Pace congratulated the Malaysian leaders on
the significant reduction in piracy in the Straits of
Malacca, with both the PM and DPM noting their satisfaction
with the drop in shipping insurance premiums. DPM Najib said
the situation in the Straits was under control and noted that
Malaysia has only one active area of military operations,
namely Sabah. While vulnerable due to its proximity to the
southern Philippines and Indonesian Borneo, Malaysia's
deployment of soldiers to islands off Sabah had resulted in a

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long period of time without any security incidences.

Security in East Asia, China
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5. (C) PM Abdullah noted the importance of China, Japan and
Korea in East Asian security, as reflected in the ASEAN Plus
3 arrangement. He expressed appreciation for the U.S.
security role on the Korean peninsula and for careful
management of the China-Taiwan dynamic. While Taiwan
remained an important trading partner for Malaysia,
occasionally China felt a need to remind Malaysia of the one
China policy. Abdullah remarked that China's gradual opening
up reflected a positive development. Malaysia did not view
China as a threat and believed in engaging China, including
through multilateral mechanisms. For example, China's
involvement in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) carried with it
responsibilities, such as multilateral engagement over its
competing claims in the South China Sea. ASEAN as an
organization was "doing well and progressing," Abdullah
concluded. General Pace agreed with the PM's view of China's
development as a great opportunity, rather than a threat, and
noted that the U.S. shares Abdullah's satisfaction with
ASEAN's progress.

Najib Anxious for Role in Southern Thailand
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6. (C) DPM Najib raised southern Thailand as an area of
concern. The situation in southern Thailand "is getting
worse" and is "not under control," although so far the
insurgents have not linked up with terrorist groups.
Malaysia wished to play a role in resolving the southern
insurgency, but had been reined back by the Thai government.
"We wish we could do more," Najib said. Comparing Malaysia's
role in mediating in the Mindanao conflict, the DPM said, "we
would be happy to host talks," but Bangkok is "too sensitive"
over the issue, and in any event the current Bangkok
government has only "a short shelf life." Najib worried that
the Thai government is deploying the wrong type of troops to
the south, namely ill-trained "rangers" who have a poor human
rights record. He commented that the Muslim population in
the South sensed, since the time of Thaksin's leadership,
they were victim of larger agenda to undermine their religion
and way of life, leading to deep mistrust of the government.
The situation in southern Thailand "cannot be allowed to
fester too long," Najib concluded.

Abdullah Focuses on Muslim World Issues
--------------


7. (C) After noting that Malaysia has investment interests
in many countries, PM Abdullah focused much of his comments
on Muslim world issues: Palestine, Iran, and Iraq. (Note:
Abdullah also presented his ideas for resolving the
humanitarian crisis in Darfur, see septel. End Note.)
Malaysia remained concerned by the situation in Palestine and
continued to conduct efforts to foster a Government of
National Unity among the Palestinian factions. To this end,
Malaysia engaged Hamas leaders. Abdullah noted that Hamas'
friendship with Iran, despite their respective Sunni-Shi'a
beliefs, grew out of Hamas' isolation by other parties and
Iran's willingness to assist. On Iran, Abdullah reiterated
that he had told President Achmadinejad "in no uncertain
terms" Malaysia and the OIC could not support the development
of nuclear weapons, though nuclear power is another matter.
Abdullah said there was no realistic alternative to talking
with Iran, and this he believed should be done "without
conditions." Use of force against Iran, "another military
adventure," would be "disastrous" and "worse than Iraq."
"That's my very strong feeling," the Prime Minster added.


8. (C) PM Abdullah said he was concerned about violence in
Iraq. "Muslims fighting Muslims is very embarrassing for
me," PM Abdullah stated. Abdullah supported efforts to
foster Iraqi unity "to avoid a bloodbath" so that U.S. forces
could leave Iraq quickly. The PM noted in passing that he
had planned to be in Afghanistan at this time, but had
postponed the visit and would conduct a video conference with
Kabul instead. (Note: Malaysia's state news agency reported
that PM Abdullah delivered a live address via video link June
4 to a Kabul conference on "Effective Private Sector
Contribution to Development of Afghanistan. End Note.)


9. (C) DPM Najib said he saw the security situation in

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Afghanistan as "dicey." Nevertheless, he urged the U.S. and
its allies to "finish the job in Afghanistan" by soundly
defeating the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Najib described the
Taliban as a "gross aberration of Islam" that sought to
"bring Islam back to the Stone Age." Najib was unaware of
requests by the Afghan government to train Afghan personnel.
Najib noted that he had agreed to receive the visit of an
Iraqi Vice President in the near future.


10. (C) General Pace stated U.S. support for a diplomatic
solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. He briefed the PM and
DPM on the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting that
the U.S. did not see a military solution in Iraq. Security
represented only one element, alongside the critical issues
of governance and the economy. In Al Anbar province Sunni
leaders had unified to reject Al Qaeda and restore security;
leaders in Baghdad and Basra needed to follow this example,
promote national unity and oppose sectarian violence.
Improved governance and development were also necessary
components in Afghanistan, and General Pace urged both
Malaysian leaders to support Afghanistan, possibly through
the training of government officials.

Pace Commends Malaysia for Peacekeeping Leadership
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11. (C) General Pace commended Malaysia for its continued
leadership in international peacekeeping, noting in
particular Malaysia's deployment to Lebanon under UNIFIL and
pointing out that Malaysia operated a world class
peacekeeping training center. PM Abdullah noted with a smile
that Malaysia's offer to send more troops to Lebanon had been
rejected by the UN. Najib highlighted the success of
Malaysian forces deployed to East Timor, where Malaysians
overcame initial suspicions by practicing good civil-military
relations ("our strong suit").

Seeking Common Ground on Terrorism
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12. (C) General Pace noted that many countries have unique
perspectives on the nature of the terrorist threat. Without
a greater sharing of views, we will face frustrations in the
fight against terrorists based on misunderstandings. Pace
explained that he would seek ways to open a wider dialogue on
terrorism and share more information among countries. PM
Abdullah said he also feared that a lack of common
understanding of terrorism would lead to problems. DPM Najib
welcomed further dialogue on terrorism: "We will share our
perspective as a moderate, tolerant, Muslim country." Najib
added that one "cannot bomb terrorists into submission," and
it would be important to understand and address the root
causes that foster terrorism. At the same time, no one
should excuse the actions of terrorists, such as Malaysian
Jemaah Islamiyah bomber Azahari, who killed innocent people.

Abdullah Extends Invitation for President Bush
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13. (C) The atmospherics in General Pace's meetings with the
Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister were friendly and
positive. PM Abdullah noted his preference for "very
informal" dialogue, "even when I speak with President Bush."
Abdullah asked after President Bush's health, referred to the
President as "a tough man," and asked General Pace to convey
his best wishes to the President. As Abdullah concluded the
meeting, he extended an invitation for President Bush to
attend Malaysia's 50th independence anniversary celebration
on August 31.
SHEAR