MALAYSIA UNLIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN ASIA PACIFIC

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000905 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA UNLIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN ASIA PACIFIC DEMOCRACY PARTNERSHIP (APDP) MEETING IN SEOUL REF: A. STATE 107528 ¶B. KUALA LUMPUR 430 ¶1. (U) Poloff conveyed demarche points (ref A) on October 14 to Mr. Selvaraj Ramasamy, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Malaysian Foreign Ministry's Regional Economic Cooperation, Social & Cultural Affairs Division. Selvaraj informed us that he recently spoke with our South Korean counterparts about the Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP),and that he had already forwarded the information up to the Ministerial level for further instructions. He indicated, without elaborating, that Malaysia's position on APDP had not changed. (Comment: Earlier this year, Malaysia declined invitations to APDP events, ref B.) ¶2. (SBU) South Korean embassy counselor told Polcouns that Malaysian Foreign Ministry officials were "not enthusiastic" about the APDP meeting in Seoul, but still had not responded to the invitation. In late September the South Korean ambassador personally presented the invitation to Deputy Secretary General Kamal Yahya, and embassy counselor had conducted a follow-up demarche. The counselor described the MFA officials as "suspicious" about APDP and the U.S. role in the initiative, even though the South Korean diplomat said she had consciously avoided any mention of the U.S. during her demarche. MFA officials also questioned the APDP because it was not a UN initiative. RAPSON