GVN AND CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEK TO DEFUSE LAND DISPUTE

UNCLAS HANOI 000129 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KIRF PHUM PGOV VM SUBJECT: GVN AND CATHOLIC CHURCH SEEK TO DEFUSE LAND DISPUTE REF: A) HANOI 097; B) HANOI 118 ¶1. (U) Summary: In a reversal of the GVN's move last week to seek legal action against ongoing Catholic prayer vigils and protests seeking the return of church lands in downtown Hanoi, both the GVN and the Catholic Church have made conciliatory statements and pledged to work together to resolve the issue after the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Differences remain, however, over whether an eventual settlement will include the return of the former residence of the Vatican Apostolic delegate which has been at the center of the recent protests. In a February 4 meeting with PolCouns, MFA officials said that the GVN saw this as a land dispute issue rather than a religious freedom or human rights issue. End summary. ¶2. (U) Moving to defuse tensions, Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone wrote to Hanoi Archbishop Joseph Ngo Kiet on January 30 saying that while he was "filled with admiration before the feelings of earnest devotion and profound attachment to the Church and the Holy See shown by thousands of faithful who, day after day, gather peacefully to pray in front of this building," he requested the Archbishop to "intervene, so that acts which could disrupt the public order be avoided, and...it will be thus possible, in a more serene climate, to resume the dialogue with the authorities, in order to find a fitting solution to this delicate problem." ¶3. (U) Vice Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong met with Archbichop Kiet on January 30, and the two agreed to discuss the issue after the upcoming Tet holidays. Archbishop Kiet in turn sent a letter to his followers saying that "the sentiments of fervent devotion and deep attachment to the Church are more intense than ever before," and that "after tensions, there came a dialogue between the See of Hanoi, Vietnam Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Vietnam leadership at the highest levels for a good solution." He went on that "I cannot stand seeing you braving the cold in the freezing winter...You can trust that I and our brothers and sisters around the world always be with you...And the final result will definitely be beautiful as you have wished." ¶4. (SBU) In contrast to press reports that the GVN had decided to return the disputed property, the MFA told PolCouns that while the GVN was determined to resolve the issue fairly, that might not mean returning the former home of the Vatican's apostolic delegate at 42 Nha Chung which has been at the center of the dispute. In a February 4 meeting requested by the MFA, Deputy Director General of the Americas Department Ha Kim Ngoc said the government recognizes that the church request for land to build a headquarters is legitimate. Suitable land will be found, Ngoc said, but it may be property other than 42 Nha Chung. ¶5. (SBU) Ngoc said that property had originally been a pagoda before the French destroyed it and built the church and Vatican Embassy building during the colonial period. This makes the issue even more complicated, Ngoc said, as the government wants to avoid a dispute between Catholics and Buddhists. The Prime Minister is personally working with the Hanoi People's Committee to find an equitable solution, Ngoc said. ¶6. (SBU) Ngoc said that while the issue is complicated, it is fundamentally a property dispute and not a human rights or religious freedom issue. Some people made use of the issue to drive their own agendas beyond peaceful protest, Ngoc said. The guards at the disputed property had been given instructions not to use force during the demonstrations but they had been attacked and ten had been injured, one seriously. Noting that Catholic lawyer and democracy activist Le Quoc Quan had been seen with blood pouring from his ear during a protest, Ngoc suggested that Quan's wound had been self-inflicted in order to create sympathy. (Note: Quan had written to the Embassy that he was beaten brutally by four to five guards. End note.) Poloff noted that the USG remains concerned that the right to peaceful protest is respected. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: With clear instructions from the Vatican and the highest levels of the GVN, both sides have taken a step back in what had turned into a high-profile showdown over the disputed church property at 42 Nha Trung and the situation is likely to remain calm throughout the next two weeks of the holiday period. Protesters have dispersed for the Tet holiday. However, differing views between the Church and the GVN over whether an eventual settlement will include the property at 42 Nha Chung mean the issue is still far from resolved. MICHALAK