JAPAN, ROK KEEN ON ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY PROJECT

UNCLAS SEOUL 000222

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KS
SUBJECT: JAPAN, ROK KEEN ON ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY PROJECT


SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) During the course of trilateral talks among the
U.S., ROK and Japan held in Seoul on January 11, both ROKG
Vice Foreign Minister Park In-kook and GOJ Deputy Vice
Minister for Foreign Policy Masaharu Kono expressed
preliminary interest in the idea of an Asia-Pacific Democracy
Partnership (APDP) and said they would welcome further
discussion of the proposal. END SUMMARY.

ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY PROJECT
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2. (SBU) The APDP, an idea under consideration, would be a
coalition of democratic governments partnering to promote and
strengthen democratization, governance, civil society, and
rule of law in the Asia-Pacific region. One possible model
would be a steering group comprised of Japan, South Korea,
Australia, and the U.S., with membership open to all Asian
democracies committed to strengthening democratic values and
institutions in the region. Possible initiatives could
include activities designed to promote civil society,
institutional development, free and fair elections, civilian
oversight and transparency in the security sector, and other
best practices of sound governance.

ROKG, GOJ VOICE INITIAL SUPPORT
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3. (SBU) After discussing his Partnership for Democratic
Governance proposal, Director of Policy Planning Stephen
Krasner then raised the APDP concept during U.S.-ROK-Japan
trilateral discussions held in Seoul January 11. Following
up on S/P Krasner's comment that the major security
challenges come from weak, ill-governed or repressive states,
NSC Senior Director for Strategic Planning William Inboden
added that more multilateral cooperation to promote and
strengthen democracy in the region could be helpful. The
APDP was one idea to help address that need.


4. (SBU) ROKG Vice Foreign Minister Park In-kook said that
democracy promotion activity was welcome and should be
encouraged. He observed that corruption and the lack of
reliable democratic institutions, news media, and an
independent judiciary should all be considered when
attempting to implant democratic values in developing
countries. Promising a more official response through
diplomatic channels, Park said that the APDP was a good
proposal to expedite democracy development in a more tangible
way.


5. (SBU) GOJ Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy
Masaharu Kono said that he was "overwhelmed by the wonderful
idea." Noting that that the concept dovetailed with Japan's
Arc of Freedom and Prosperity initiative to emphasize a
value-driven foreign policy, Kono said that his government
would be interested in learning more about the idea.

BILATERAL DISCUSSION WITH ROKG
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6. (SBU) At Park's suggestion, Inboden met separately with
MOFAT's Director of Human Rights and Social Affairs Kim
Moon-hwa. Kim, referencing ROKG's participation in the
Community of Democracies (CD),said that the ROKG was a
staunch supporter of the U.S. policy of supporting
democracies on a global scale. He said that the ROKG's
initial assessment of the APDP was that it was meaningful and
important, a "PSI for human rights," but would require more
deliberation. However, given the ROK's experience with
democracy, Kim anticipated that the ROKG would be pleased to
be part of APDP's steering group.


7. (SBU) Kim noted with approval that the initiative
contains important elements, such as an emphasis on the
judiciary, institutional development, capacity building, and
civilian oversight of the military. Kim suggested that
additional programs targeting mass media and education could
also be useful.


8. (SBU) Responding to a series of questions regarding
program specifics, Inboden explained that the program was
just a notional idea at this point, and that its timing,
membership, and structure would all be determined by the
participating nations. Member countries would have to be
"action-oriented," Inboden said, and target countries would
likely be countries which are trying to consolidate their
democracies, such as East Timor or the Philippines. Success
could lead to more ambitious projects in countries such as
Burma. While APDP has not yet been funded, initial projects
could consist of a consolidation of ongoing endeavors, for
which funds have already been committed. Inboden said that
while China would be neither a member nor a target country,
he did not anticipate a hostile response to such an
initiative from Beijing.


9. (SBU) Inboden further explained that APDP would not
compete with CD, whose charter envisioned the development of
regional projects. Depending on member country intent, APDP
could be a part of CD, affiliated with it, or entirely
independent. Kim said that it would be important for APDP to
be consistent with CD activities.
STANTON