MALAYSIA: URGING ASEAN TO PRESS BURMA ON NEXT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000840 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CLASSIFIED BY AND REASON ADDED) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL BM MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: URGING ASEAN TO PRESS BURMA ON NEXT STEPS REF: STATE 108210 -- DEMARCHE REQUEST: BURMA STEPS Classfied By: DCM Rapson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) DCM Rapson conveyed reftel demarche points to MFA Under Secretary for Southeast Asia Affairs (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam),Mohammed Sadik Gany, on October 22. The DCM briefly outlined our new policy approach towards Burma and the constructive steps we have taken over the past month to promote a dialogue and engagement with the regime that hopefully leads to meaningful domestic political reforms in Burma. The DCM urged Malaysia to join its ASEAN colleagues at this weekend,s ASEAN summit in Thailand in pressing the regime, both publicly and privately, to initiate a genuine dialogue with the Burmese opposition and ethnic minorities in the run-up to the 2010 general elections. Relaxation of Aung San Suu Kyi,s terms of confinement would be a good place to start, he noted. ¶2. (C) Gany welcomed the shift in US policy towards engagement with the Burmese, indicating that this was the approach that Malaysia and others in the region have been advocating for some time. The US shift, he argued, will help bolster ASEAN,s efforts to nudge the regime on reform. He pointed to the regime,s recent granting of permission for ASSK to meet with western envoys as a small step forward. The DCM concurred, but said more is needed from the Burmese. Gany noted interest in some ASEAN circles, including Malaysia, to ramp up economic assistance to Myanmar given the political changes underway. The DCM reiterated that US sanctions will remain in place for the foreseeable future while dialogue proceeds. Gany said Malaysia and others in ASEAN would likely be responsive to any request from the regime for material support to help conduct next year,s general election. ¶3. (C) Gany thanked the DCM for our timely intervention. He noted that there was sufficient time to get the USG points and demarche recommendations into the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister,s briefing books for the weekend summit, although he gave no indication of how they might be used. He did refer to statements earlier this year by Prime Minister Najib and Foreign Minister Anifah as indicative of a firmer, higher profile stance Malaysia has taken on Burma. The DCM said the upcoming US-ASEAN summit in Singapore will be another opportunity to jointly prod the Burmese on political reforms. KEITH