BELGIUM: THAI AMBASSADOR INFORMS CHARG OF APEC

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000121 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TAGS) STATE FOR EAP APEC SENIOR OFFICIAL PAT HASLACH AND FOR EAP/EP DIRECTOR KATHY HADDA EMBASSY BANGKOK FOR ECON COUNS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: APEC TH SUBJECT: BELGIUM: THAI AMBASSADOR INFORMS CHARG OF APEC $ECRETARIAT CANDIDACY ¶1. The Thai Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Communities, Mr. Pisan Manawapat, informed the Charg on January 28 of his application that day for the position of Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat in Singapore, a position that starts in 2010. ¶2. Manawapat told the Charg that he is not asking to be the official Thai candidate, but is seeking the position in his private capacity. Manawapat indicated that he believed his candidacy was a strong one due to his long public service career, his hands-on experience at APEC (as Thailand's APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Chair during 2003),and experience in trade negotiations (as Thailand's lead negotiator on the Thailand-Japan Economic Partnership agreement signed in 2007). ¶3. Embassy Brussels will forward via unclassified pouch to EAP/EP for the Senior Official for APEC and to Embassy Bangkok for the Economic Counselor hard copies of Mr. Manawapat's CV and letter of application that he set to APEC. BUSH .