THAI MFA PREVIEWS UPCOMING ASEAN PLUS SUMMIT

UNCLAS BANGKOK 000756 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEAN TH SUBJECT: THAI MFA PREVIEWS UPCOMING ASEAN PLUS SUMMIT MEETINGS, GLOBAL DIALOGUE, ARF VISION STATEMENT PROGRESS ASEAN PLUS MEETINGS -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) ASEAN Deputy Director General Manasvi Srisodapol previewed Thai thinking on upcoming ASEAN plus Summit meetings on April 10-12 in Pattaya, Thailand with us March 24. All of the 6 East Asian Summit (EAS) participants were scheduled to attend at the head of government level except India, which had indicated that PM Manmohan Singh was reducing foreign travel due to health concerns. Manasvi explained that the Summit would issue a Statement on the Global Financial and Economic Crisis. Leaders would also endorse the further expansion of the Chiang Mai Initiative, but the details would not be worked out until the ASEAN Finance Ministers meet in Bali in May. ¶2. (SBU) Manasvi explained that the ASEAN Global Dialogue would be held separately in Bangkok the evening of April 12, with ASEAN SecGen Surin, not Thailand, as convening host. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as well as the heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF),the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) would attend and discuss proposals to help solve the global financial and economic crisis. To promote ASEAN's civil society participation theme this year under the Thai Chairmanship, 500-1000 civil society representatives had also been invited to join the Dialogue's working dinner. ARF VISION STATEMENT -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In discussing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Vision Statement, Manasvi said that the ASEAN MFA PermSecs/SOM meeting on April 9 on the eve of the Summit would review the current draft of the Vision Statement prior to distributing it to partner countries. Acknowledging that different views within ASEAN remaind, Manasvi stated that Thailand was more progressive than other ASEAN member countries in its aspirations and valued the ARF, since it had originally been launched in Thailand in 1994. Thailand looked for the statement to build shared values and push for more concrete cooperation; the draft should be discussed by all ARF members during the upcoming intersessional in Seoul April 19-22. JOHN