MALAYSIA MFA COMMENTS ON BURMA AT ASEAN SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000098 SIPDIS FOR EAP, PRM AND INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2019 TAGS: PGOV KDEM MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA MFA COMMENTS ON BURMA AT ASEAN SUMMIT Classified By: Political Counselor Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Polcouns met with Malaysian Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General for ASEAN Sudha Devi on February 12 and raised the issue of Burma at the upcoming ASEAN summit. Sudha told Polcouns that Burma was not a formal agenda item for the ASEAN summit, as ASEAN won't "shame" members this way. However, Sudha indicated that Burma could be the subject of bilateral discussions. Sudha said that ASEAN members would likely focus on post-Nargis relief and rehabilitation efforts, which provided a good example of ASEAN's ability to facilitate Burma's cooperation with the rest of the outside world. He noted that a Thai proposal for a side meeting on the Rohingya will be discussed first in the Senior Officials Meeting, but that Malaysia had no position and was not yet committed to this idea. Sudha confided that Foreign Minister Rais Yatim's evasion of a direct question on the Rohingya in a recent media interview was an indication of the sensitivity of this matter in Malaysia. ASEAN Human Rights Body -------------- ¶2. (C) Sudha said that with regards to the ASEAN human rights body, the terms of reference would be discussed at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting. ASEAN members intended to finalize the TOR by July 2009. Sudha explained that the human rights body would be a product of compromise and consensus. As a result, its mandate would not be intrusive and would not include a monitoring function. The human rights body would remain in the "comfort zone" of all members, an approach Malaysia fully endorsed. KEITH