DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000835 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MY CH SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 LUNCH WITH MALAYSIAN POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES ¶1. (SBU) September 28, 2009; 12:30 p.m.; The Ambassador's residence; Kuala Lumpur. ¶2. (SBU) Participants: U.S. -------------- The Deputy Secretary Ambassador Keith Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, Directorate of National Intelligence Joseph Donovan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, EAP Derek Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Rear Admiral Joseph Leidig, Joint Chiefs of Staff Pamela Park, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary Brian McFeeters, Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur (notetaker) MALAYSIA -------------- Nur Jazlan, Member of Parliament (MP),United Malays National Organization (UMNO) Charles Santiago, MP, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Dzulkifly Ahmad, MP, Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) Michael Yeoh, CEO, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute Ibrahim Suffian, Merdeka Center (Principle Polling Organization in Malaysia) Ms. Ivy Josiah, Executive Director, Women's Aid Organization Ms. Tricia Yeoh, Economic advisor to the Chief Minister of Selangor State ¶3. (SBU) SUMMARY: A diverse group of Malaysian Parliamentarians and civil society representatives told Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg at a September 28 luncheon that Malaysians looked favorably on the United States and were interested in President Obama's message of outreach to the Muslim world. At the same time, many were waiting to see results of the new U.S. approach on the ground, particularly in the Middle East, where Israel-Palestine and Iran are sensitive issues. Most saw China's growing influence as favorable since it meant more financial and commercial investment in Southeast Asia, though one Parliamentarian noted concerns about China's military development. NGO representatives suggested that the USG provide the GOM with training on identifying trafficking victims and operating victim shelters. END SUMMARY. ¶4. (SBU) At a September 28 luncheon hosted by the Ambassador, Deputy Secretary Steinberg told a group of Parliamentarians from both the ruling and opposition parties, civil society leaders and academics that the United States sought stronger relations with Malaysia in line with its decision to devote more attention to the political stability and economic development of Southeast Asia. Malaysia, he said, exemplified Islamic beliefs coexisting with a pluralist democracy and its role in international organizations such as the Non-aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference made it a valuable channel for overcoming North-South misperceptions. He asked for suggestions on improving U.S.-Malaysia relations and about U.S. foreign policy in Asia and the Middle East. ¶5. (SBU) Parliamentarian Jazlan, from the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, replied that U.S.-Malaysian relations would improve if the U.S. were willing to talk about Malaysian interests generally, rather than just about counter-terrorism. He added that most Malaysians saw the U.S.-Malaysian relationship primarily in economic terms, but that China's growing influence in Asia convinced him that mil-to-mil relations were also important. Parliamentarian from the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Santiago said President Obama's election had led Malaysians to question why Malaysia did not give equal opportunities to all races. Most other comments focused not on U.S.-Malaysian relations per se, but on the U.S. global role, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan. ¶6. (SBU) Parliamentarian from the opposition People's Islamic Party (PAS) Dzulkifly, describing himself as an "Islamic democrat," said that Malaysians had welcomed President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world including his June speech in Cairo. However, "after the early excitement," some were beginning to wonder whether concrete policy responses would follow. Merdeka Center's Suffian said that polls KUALA LUMP 00000835 002 OF 002 consistently show that the Malaysian public's main foreign policy interest is in Palestine. The plight of the Palestinian people was an emotional issue for Malaysians, the only foreign policy issue that many Malaysians cared about, Jazlan added. NGO activist Josiah said not to underestimate the hatred that many Malaysians feel toward Israel. Suffian said news about Israel and Palestine comes largely from Arab media sources, whereas most Malaysians don't believe CNN and BBC reporting about the Middle East. He added that Malaysians were quite interested in the USG's efforts to make progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace and respected President Obama for making a renewed effort. ¶7. (SBU) Turning to the U.S. role in Afghanistan, Suffian said that educated Malaysians saw U.S. involvement there as important for regional security; this contrasted with views of Iraq operations as an unjustified occupation. Jazlan added that some young Malaysians saw U.S. operations in Afghanistan as anti-Muslim; it was important to educate them and "pull them back into the mainstream." Santiago added that Malaysians understood that Afghanistan and Pakistan would only become more unstable if the U.S. were to withdraw. ¶8. (SBU) Jazlan said that he personally believed that Iran was likely buying time until it could complete development of nuclear weapons, so he understood the need for international nonproliferation efforts. However, "because of Israel," any U.S. action against Iran "would not be popular in Malaysia." Dzulkifly disagreed with Jazlan's first point, saying that it was clear to him that Iran was pursuing the peaceful use of nuclear energy "and nothing beyond that." He argued that U.S. moves against Iran would be seen as destabilizing a now-stable situation. ¶9. (SBU) In reply to Deputy Steinberg's mention of anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) efforts as a USG priority that he spent considerable time on, Josiah said that the GOM needed training on identifying victims, sheltering those victims, and a focus on victim protection while trafficking cases were being prepared, rather than rapid repatriation of foreign victims. Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute CEO Michael Yeoh, also a Commissioner on the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, agreed that TIP capacity building assistance was needed. Santiago added that he welcomed the attention to Malaysia's trafficking problem, which he had raised in Parliament, but that additional attention to Malaysians trafficked out of Malaysia to Japan and Europe was also needed. ¶10. (U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg cleared this message. KEITH