CODEL McCain Visit to Vietnam

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SUBJECT: CODEL McCain Visit to Vietnam

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1. (SBU) Summary: In their April 6-8 visit to Vietnam, CODEL McCain
covered a wide range of issues with the Vietnamese leadership,
including the recent DPRK missile test, the need for a new bilateral
agreement on adoptions, the GVN's desire for market economy status
and the need for greater respect for human rights and press freedom.
The Codel, led by Senator John McCain and including Senators
Lindsey Graham and Amy Klobuchar, held separate meetings in Hanoi
with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National Assembly Chairman
Nguyen Phu Trong. Senator McCain also spoke to an enthusiastic
group of several hundred students at the Diplomatic Academy of
Vietnam, stressing the need to turn away from economic isolationism,
increase military-to-military cooperation and improve human rights
and political freedoms in Vietnam. The delegation's visit received
extensive positive coverage in the local and national press. End
summary.

VIETNAMESE LEADERS STRESS COOPERATION
--------------


2. (SBU) PM Dung thanked Senator McCain for his long-standing role
in strengthening bilateral cooperation. Dung noted that Vietnam had
6.3 percent economic growth in 2008 and said that growth in the
first quarter of 2009 was 3.1 percent, acknowledging the United
States role in spurring growth in Vietnam through trade and
investment. He said trade volume had a ten-fold increase from 2001
through the end of 2008 and now totaled over $15 billion annually.
PM Dung highlighted bilateral cooperation in four main areas: trade
and investment, education, climate change and security issues. In
discussing trade, both Prime Minister Dung and National Assembly
Chairman Trong urged the United States to move forward in
recognizing Vietnam's status both as a market economy and making it
a Generalized System of Preferences beneficiary.


3. (SBU) Turning to education, PM Dung commented that by increasing
the number of Vietnamese studying in the United States we are
building a "lasting bridge of cooperation." He noted that currently
10,000 Vietnamese students are in the United States. On climate
change, PM Dung stressed that according to international if sea
levels continue to rise the effect on Vietnam will be second only to
that on Bangladesh. In response to a question from Sen. Graham on
the need for increased nuclear power to combat climate change, PM
Dung responded that the GVN is planning to construct a 4,000 MW
reactor and is in the final stages of completing the bidding
process. The PM also commented that without the new reactor Vietnam
will be unable to meet its growing electricity demand.


4. (SBU) PM Dung also asked for U.S. assistance with Agent Orange
remediation, locating Vietnam's 300,000 MIA and in dealing with
unexploded ordinance and remnants of war. PM Dung thanked Senator
McCain for the United States' large financial commitment to fight
HIV/AIDS in Vietnam and for Cindy McCain's personal contributions to
the country through her involvement with Operation Smile in Vietnam.



5. (SBU) Senator Klobuchar asked for assistance from the Prime
Minister in rebuilding the bilateral adoption relationship. PM Dung
responded that the GVN continues to move towards joining the Hague
Convention soon and that he had recently convened an
inter-ministerial discussion on the Hague Convention. He stressed
that he wants cooperation on adoptions to move forward and asked for
assistance in getting a new adoption agreement signed.


6. (SBU) Sen. Klobuchar also raised the increased agricultural
exports from the United States in both meetings with the Prime
Minister and Chairman of the National Assembly. Chairman Trong
responded that Vietnam too wants to increase agricultural exports to
the United States, especially basa catfish. He stressed that
Vietnam's basa catfish exports should not be singled out in the farm
bill before Congress.

SECURITY ISSUES, NORTH KOREA AND IRAN
--------------


7. (SBU) Rounding out the top areas for cooperation, Dung focused on
continued cooperation on security issues such as counterterrorism
and the fight against transnational crime. Senator McCain stressed
the need for improved military-to-military cooperation within the
realm of security issues with both PM Dung and NA Chairman Trong.
Sen. Graham asked both the Prime Minister and the Chairman about
their thoughts on North Korea's recent missile test. PM Dung
answered that Vietnam wants peace and reunification in the Koreas
and opposes weapons of mass destruction. He affirmed Vietnam's
support for UNSC Resolution 1718 on DPRK and stressed that all
countries should abide by the resolution. He also said that the
Six-Party Talks remain the best mechanism to resolve the issue.


8. (SBU) National Assembly Chairman Trong likewise echoed PM Dung's
calls for peaceful reunification on the Korean peninsula and the

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importance of the Six-Party Talks. He said that North Korea and
Iran both must comply with international law and practices when
asked by Sen. Graham the best path forward in dealing with the two
countries. Trong counseled all parties to show restraint and use
dialogue to solve ongoing disputes.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND PRESS FREEDOM
--------------


9. (SBU) In his meetings with the Prime Minister and National
Assembly Chairman, Sen. McCain asserted the need for a free press to
combat corruption in a democratic society, and questioned Chairman
Trong on the arrest and conviction of journalists who had uncovered
the PMU-18 corruption scandal. Chairman Trong agreed that a free
press was important. He asserted that the journalists in question
were arrested not because they reported on corruption but due to
violating the law and misstating the facts of the case. He noted
that many NA committee hearings and all main sessions are now aired
live on national television. He also stated that Vietnam currently
has more than 40,000 professional journalists and several hundred
news agencies.


10. (SBU) Noting the National Assembly's desire for stronger ties
with the U.S. Congress, Chairman Trong asked the delegation to send
his warm regards to Speaker Pelosi and let her know that he would
like to extend an invitation for Speaker Pelosi to visit Vietnam.

SPEECH FOCUSES ON COOPERATION, LIBERALIZATION
--------------


11. (SBU) Senator McCain's speech at the Diplomatic Academy of
Vietnam drew hundreds of cheering students and faculty. Senator
McCain dedicated a large portion of his speech to encouraging
enhancing bilateral military-to-military cooperation by increasing
IMET exchanges, adding additional ship visits, and continuing
discussions about Vietnam's participation in UN peacekeeping
operations. He also focused on the need for Vietnam to "take steps
toward greater political liberalization" by "allowing greater
freedom of expression, releasing all individuals imprisoned for
peacefully expressing their views, improving human rights, and
widening the scope of political activity."

PRESS COVERAGE POSITIVE AND EXTENSIVE
--------------


12. (SBU) The delegation's visit received wall-to-wall positive
press coverage, with all major national and local news daily
carrying extensive articles. State-run Vietnam Television's nightly
news program, watched by an estimated 25 million Vietnamese, spent
nearly six minutes reporting on the delegation's meetings with Prime
Minister Dung and National Assembly Chairman Trong.

MICHALAK