THAIS PREPARE FOR ASEAN CHAIRMANSHIP, RELAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001880 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEAN UNSC TH BM SUBJECT: THAIS PREPARE FOR ASEAN CHAIRMANSHIP, RELAY CONCERN ABOUT UNSC CONSIDERATION OF CYCLONE NARGIS Classified By: CDA James F. Entwistle, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) As of June 16, the RTG had not yet established its formal goals for its upcoming term as ASEAN Chair. The RTG expects that its term as Chair, covering July 2008 until the end of 2009, will witness the coming into force of the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, as well as the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body, and progress in other areas. An MFA official told us ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan worked easily with the current Thai administration, although some ASEAN governments were upset on hearing that Surin had sought UN Security Council action relating to Cyclone Nargis. Suriya said the RTG, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair, would act consistently with the RTG's "neighborly engagement" policy toward Burma. End Summary. RTG EXPECTATIONS FOR TERM AS ASEAN CHAIR -------------- ¶2. (C) Deputy Political Counselor met on June 16 with Suriya Chindawongse, one of the MFA's leading coordinators for Thailand's upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN. According to Suriya, the RTG had not yet defined its goals for its upcoming term as Chair, although Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej intended to convene an interagency meeting to discuss the matter during this week. Suriya stated he was not aware of any ASEAN-related issues that appeared likely to prompt contentious interagency debate within the RTG. ¶3. (C) Suriya characterized Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama as energized and personally committed to using the Thai term to make ASEAN more action-oriented and more focused on results rather than process. Suriya specifically noted that, consistent with Noppadon's approach, the RTG would encourage ASEAN and its member states to set more timelines for agreed-upon actions. ¶4. (C) Aside from changing the overall tenor of ASEAN's way of doing business, in accordance with the above description, Suriya also expected that the Thai term would include the following: - The ASEAN Charter's coming into force (once all ASEAN member states ratify); - Conclusion of a blueprint for political and security affairs (akin to the already agreed-upon economic blueprint), covering through 2015; - Conclusion of a blueprint for social and cultural affairs; - Establishment of the human rights body provided for by the ASEAN Charter, around mid-2009; and - The coming into force of the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism (ACCT),after four more member states ratify. (To date, only Thailand and Singapore have ratified.) Suriya noted that the RTG's lead talking point in ASEAN meetings on transnational crime was to urge other ASEAN member states to ratify the ACCT. REMARKS ON ASEAN SECGEN AND BURMA -------------- ¶5. (C) We asked whether Suriya envisioned particular consequences flowing from the fact that Thailand will chair ASEAN at a time when the ASEAN Secretary General's position is held by former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan. Suriya noted that some ASEAN states were concerned that both the Chair and SecGen were "progressive." More importantly, though, some ASEAN governments (NFI) had grown concerned after hearing that Surin, in New York, had recently suggested that the UN Security Council issue a President's Statement endorsing his and ASEAN's efforts to assist Burmese imperiled by Cyclone Nargis. The disconcerted ASEAN members felt that it would be inappropriate for the UNSC to comment on cyclone relief efforts, and they worried that there was an ulterior motive behind this effort to place a Burma-related issue before the UNSC. BANGKOK 00001880 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) We asked whether Suriya could envision that ASEAN, under Thailand's chairmanship, might place meaningful pressure on Burma to more toward democratic reform. Suriya remarked that the RTG and other ASEAN members already made their views known to the Burmese Government, and encouraged it to proceed in accordance with its roadmap to democracy. He said the policies relating to Burma that Thailand would advance as ASEAN Chair would reflect the RTG policy of "neighborly engagement" with Burma. He hoped that the international response to Cyclone Nargis would increase Burmese leaders' exposure to the outside world and thereby have a positive effect on them. ¶7. (C) When asked whether ASEAN SecGen Surin's association with Thailand's opposition Democrat Party would affect his coordination with the RTG on ASEAN matters, Suriya said he envisioned no harmful effect. He explained that he had seen FM Noppadon and Surin interact on various occasions, and they had an excellent rapport. (Noppadon served as Secretary to Surin from 1999 until 2001, during Surin's term as Foreign Minister.) COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) We had thought that the ongoing domestic political turmoil might prevent the top levels of the RTG from devoting significant attention to ASEAN affairs, but Suriya assured us that the political leadership is engaged. The "neighborly engagement" policy toward Burma represents a relatively accommodating stance that to date has not seemed to place meaningful pressure on the GOB to adopt democratic reforms. We will continue to follow up with MFA to ascertain the RTG's goals for its term as ASEAN Chair, as they take shape. ENTWISTLE