Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09HANOI545
2009-06-12 09:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Hanoi
Cable title:
DPRK DRAFT RESOLUTION - VIETNAM LIKELY TO SUPPORT,
how-toVZCZCXRO7442 OO RUEHHM DE RUEHHI #0545 1630948 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 120948Z JUN 09 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9754 INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0320 RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH PRIORITY 5926
C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 000545
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL PGOV UNSC KN VM
SUBJECT: DPRK DRAFT RESOLUTION - VIETNAM LIKELY TO SUPPORT,
BUT REGRETS LACK OF CONSULTATION
REF: A. STATE 60616
B. HANOI 101
Classified By: CDA Virginia Palmer. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 000545
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL PGOV UNSC KN VM
SUBJECT: DPRK DRAFT RESOLUTION - VIETNAM LIKELY TO SUPPORT,
BUT REGRETS LACK OF CONSULTATION
REF: A. STATE 60616
B. HANOI 101
Classified By: CDA Virginia Palmer. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d)
1. (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche to MFA Director
General for International Organizations Le Hoai Trung June
12. Vietnam shares our concerns about DPRK actions, Trung
said. He complained, however, that the MFA had received the
draft resolution only 24 hours before and required approval
from five or six of Vietnam,s top leaders. "Just one of
them wouldn't be sufficient," he said. He asked for patience
but suggested Vietnam would support the Resolution "as a
gesture of our utmost cooperation."
2. (C) The Vice Foreign Minister stayed in the office until
close to midnight to review the circular , Trung said.
Deputy Prime Minister (and Foreign Minister) Pham Gia Khiem
read it first thing this morning, Trung said, and Trung had
been on the phone with the staffs of the Prime Minister,
Secretary General of the Community Party, President, and
Chairman of the National Assembly all day. In addition, "if
we want to be serious about compliance with the Resolution,"
Trang said, sanctions provisions would require approval from
nearly ten ministries, including the State Bank of Vietnam,
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public
Security, Ministry of Telecommunications, Ministry of
Industry and Commerce and the Customs Department, in order to
avoid poor compliance.
3. (C) Comment: Trung said he understood how the UN works
and how tough the negotiations on the Resolution had been in
New York. "We do not want to look like we are being
difficult," he said, "but when negotiations go on for two
weeks and we get less than 36 hours to have a cleared
position, we have trouble explaining to our senior leadership
that Vietnam's approval is not being taken for granted and
that we are not, in effect, being granted an ultimatum." We
would add that while Vietnam will all but certainly join
consensus on this resolution, short-fuse votes like this
without early consultation require the MFA to exhaust its
(very) scarce political capital with Vietnam's senior
leaders, and this could hurt U.S. interests in other areas.
End comment.
PALMER
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL PGOV UNSC KN VM
SUBJECT: DPRK DRAFT RESOLUTION - VIETNAM LIKELY TO SUPPORT,
BUT REGRETS LACK OF CONSULTATION
REF: A. STATE 60616
B. HANOI 101
Classified By: CDA Virginia Palmer. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d)
1. (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche to MFA Director
General for International Organizations Le Hoai Trung June
12. Vietnam shares our concerns about DPRK actions, Trung
said. He complained, however, that the MFA had received the
draft resolution only 24 hours before and required approval
from five or six of Vietnam,s top leaders. "Just one of
them wouldn't be sufficient," he said. He asked for patience
but suggested Vietnam would support the Resolution "as a
gesture of our utmost cooperation."
2. (C) The Vice Foreign Minister stayed in the office until
close to midnight to review the circular , Trung said.
Deputy Prime Minister (and Foreign Minister) Pham Gia Khiem
read it first thing this morning, Trung said, and Trung had
been on the phone with the staffs of the Prime Minister,
Secretary General of the Community Party, President, and
Chairman of the National Assembly all day. In addition, "if
we want to be serious about compliance with the Resolution,"
Trang said, sanctions provisions would require approval from
nearly ten ministries, including the State Bank of Vietnam,
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public
Security, Ministry of Telecommunications, Ministry of
Industry and Commerce and the Customs Department, in order to
avoid poor compliance.
3. (C) Comment: Trung said he understood how the UN works
and how tough the negotiations on the Resolution had been in
New York. "We do not want to look like we are being
difficult," he said, "but when negotiations go on for two
weeks and we get less than 36 hours to have a cleared
position, we have trouble explaining to our senior leadership
that Vietnam's approval is not being taken for granted and
that we are not, in effect, being granted an ultimatum." We
would add that while Vietnam will all but certainly join
consensus on this resolution, short-fuse votes like this
without early consultation require the MFA to exhaust its
(very) scarce political capital with Vietnam's senior
leaders, and this could hurt U.S. interests in other areas.
End comment.
PALMER