SHAPING PRESIDENT ARROYO'S WHITE HOUSE VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANILA 001287 FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL RP SUBJECT: SHAPING PRESIDENT ARROYO'S WHITE HOUSE VISIT Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney. Reasons: 1.4 b, d. ¶1. (C) Summary: President Gloria Arroyo is keenly anticipating her planned June 24 meeting in Washington with President Bush, and her top advisors are focusing intensively on preparations for those talks and other expected events during her visit. In recent discussions with the Ambassador, top Cabinet officials close to President Arroyo have acknowledged the importance of keeping the Oval Office session focused on more strategic concerns -- counterterrorism and the Mindanao peace process, bilateral security cooperation, China, broader Asian issues like Burma and the Six-Party Talks, Philippine economic progress -- while seeking a range of meetings with U.S. Cabinet members (and selected Congressional leaders) for more in-depth discussions on concerns such as human rights, defense reform, food security and other issues. Mission intends to continue encouraging President Arroyo's advisors to move in this direction, and to help shape their public message to present the many successes the Philippines has achieved (including with U.S. help),as well as the difficult challenges it still faces. End summary. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador has met recently with key advisors to President Arroyo to gauge (and help shape) planning for her June 24 White House meeting with President Bush. While the Philippine government has not yet announced the visit, her main advisors, including Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, National Security Advisor Norberto Gonzales, and Agriculture Secretary Arturo Yap, emphasized that President Arroyo and her counselors are actively weighing their goals for both the discussion with President Bush and for the range of other meetings they hope to hold in Washington. In several recent encounters with the Ambassador, President Arroyo stressed her intense interest in meeting with President Bush and sharing views on key global and regional concerns, and her top lieutenants expanded on those comments in separate discussions. ¶3. (C) Arroyo's advisors are all intensely aware that the time allotted for substantive discussions in the Oval Office is relatively brief, and that it is essential to prioritize the issues discussed by the two leaders. The Ambassador's talks in the past few weeks have suggested a general consensus among the various Cabinet officials that key issues include counterterrorism successes and bilateral security cooperation, prospects for peace in Mindanao, relations with China (and the upcoming Beijing Olympics),shared concerns on democratization in Burma, broader Asian issues including relations with North Korea, and the Philippines' economic reforms and challenges. ¶4. (C) In his meeting with the Ambassador, National Security Advisor Gonzales focused on the status of the Mindanao peace process, and President Arroyo's continuing confidence that a territorial agreement with the insurgent Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was within reach, and that a more comprehensive accord could be achieved before the end of her term in 2010. Post believes that the Oval Office talks come at a key juncture in the peace talks, and could strongly reinforce our enduring commitment both to Philippine security efforts and to a durable peace accord. ¶5. (C) Similarly, President Arroyo and her advisors are keenly aware of U.S. interest in pressing ASEAN to take a more active stance in promoting democratization throughout the region, particularly in Burma. The Oval Office talks are a key opportunity to highlight President Arroyo's continued outspoken support for more rapid democratization in Burma, and her efforts to get the Burmese junta to allow in foreign assistance and aid workers after Cyclone Nargis. ¶6. (C) We understand President Arroyo would like to hold discussions as well with several U.S. Cabinet members, likely to include the Secretaries of State, Defense, Commerce and Agriculture, as well as with selected Congressional leaders and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Post strongly supports these Cabinet-level discussions, which would allow more in-depth discussion of improvements in human rights and governance, U.S. assistance programs, continued defense reform and modernization, trade concerns and food security. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Philippine goals and expectations for the June 24 Oval Office meeting appear to be evolving positively as more senior -- and well connected -- Arroyo advisors concentrate on this important visit. Mission believes that current Philippine thinking -- holding a focused discussion on the most important strategic and regional issues we face -- affords us our best opportunity to encourage the Philippines to maintain progress on key reform efforts and support our top policy goals in the region. KENNEY