PHILIPPINES: POSITIVE RESPONSE TO U.S. INITIATIVES

UNCLAS MANILA 000329 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP (BLAIR HALL AND KEVIN SHIEVES), AND S/CT (DARCY ANDERSON) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER RP ARF IO SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES: POSITIVE RESPONSE TO U.S. INITIATIVES ON ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM REF: A. STATE 8005 ¶B. 2007 MANILA 1614 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Poloffs met February 1 with Hans Siriban, Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for Policy at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),to outline reftel points regarding U.S. initiatives for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Siriban was receptive to all U.S. initiatives, and reported that at an ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting two days earlier in Singapore, the mood had been "generally welcoming" toward U.S. comments to Singapore's draft Review of ARF. Siriban is optimistic that progress can be made on the U.S. proposals at upcoming 2008 ASEAN meetings in Singapore and Ottawa. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Per reftel instructions, Siriban was provided beforehand with copies of relevant documents, including the U.S. draft proposal for an ARF Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) workplan, together with materials. Siriban stated that it was the Philippine government's view that there may be merit in the U.S. proposal to delink the ASEAN and ARF Chairs, and that the topic had been flagged for further discussion at an upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat to be held in Singapore February 19-20. He went on to explain that when ARF had been established in 1994, the workload was not as heavy as today, and he added that Philippines' experience as 2006 ASEAN Chair had shown the DFA first hand what a burden it was to simultaneously chair the ASEAN Regional Forum. Turning to the U.S. proposal for an ARF Vision Statement, Siriban again opined that, given how much the region had changed since ARF's 1994 concept paper, an "update" was in order. ¶3. (SBU) Discussion turned to the U.S. proposal for a system of vetted and coordinated workplans, similar to those of other regional organizations, beginning with a pilot workplan on Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC). Siriban expressed the view that the workplans were a good idea compared to ASEAN's present ad hoc approach to such issues. He outlined how, during its 2006 term as ASEAN Chair, the Philippines had tried to assemble and organize frameworks summarizing all of ASEAN's past resolutions, pronouncements, and proposals on various subjects, and that developing workplans in the place of such summaries represented a natural evolution. He added that he looked forward to working with the idea and refining it. Siriban reflected that the earlier U.S. approach, which proposed the designation of "lead shepherds" and a limited number of cosponsors in each work area, had suffered from the appearance of exclusivity. Although Siriban conceded that including all 26 ARF members as cosponsors of each workplan would make them unwieldy, he opined that the solution might involve an enhanced ARF Secretariat (as envisioned by the U.S.) taking on some workplan functions. KENNEY