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
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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
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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