SENATOR NELSON AND PGMA LAUD SECURITY COOPERATION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001781 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2019 TAGS: PREL RP SUBJECT: SENATOR NELSON AND PGMA LAUD SECURITY COOPERATION, FORESEE PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER IN 2010 Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In an August 19 meeting at Malacanang Palace, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Senator Bill Nelson lauded the close intelligence and military cooperation that has enabled major successes against violent extremists in the southern Philippines. President Arroyo pledged to continue her efforts to forge a comprehensive and durable peace accord with insurgent Muslims in Mindanao, while underscoring her commitment to stepping up the fight against terrorists there. The President agreed with Senator Nelson's belief that the Philippines' national election next year would see a peaceful and orderly transition of power to the next president, observing that this was part of Philippine tradition. President Arroyo strongly criticized the Burmese government's imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi, but was skeptical that ASEAN partners would agree to review Burma's membership in the grouping. Senator Nelson welcomed the Philippines' pledge to work closely with the U.S. as chair of the NPT review conference. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Senator Nelson expressed his deep condolences on the deaths of 23 Philippine soldiers in a fierce firefight with Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists on Basilan island in southern Mindanao August 12, and lauded the courage and expertise of U.S.-trained Light Reaction Company (LRC) forces who went in to rescue their comrades. Senator Nelson welcomed the briefing he received from Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Ben Dolorfino during a visit to Zamboanga August 18 on the outcome of the battle, and voiced his appreciation for the excellent military and intelligence cooperation that was evident between Philippine and U.S. forces in this vital effort against terrorists in Mindanao. He praised the strong relations between both countries' intelligence services, and noted in particular that our well integrated intelligence efforts had brought significant successes in our shared fight against extremists. SUPERB FUSION OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY COOPERATION -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) President Arroyo voiced strong agreement with the Senator's observations, saying that our intelligence fusion was so good that it was impossible to tell where the efforts 
of one side began and the other's ended. The President lamented the soldiers' deaths, but said that their courageous efforts had helped deal a significant blow against the ASG. The Light Reaction Company's success in taking over the ASG's largest camp on Basilan was testament to the superb training the LRC had received from U.S. forces. Moreover, the Philippine special forces had been able to pinpoint the ASG's location using accurate information that flowed directly from our joint intelligence efforts. President Arroyo voiced strong appreciation to the U.S. government and legislative branch for the wide array of support provided to the Philippines -- intelligence, military training, supplies. U.S. help enabled the Philippines to improve its soft and hard power efforts to defeat terrorism. PEACE PROCESS MOVING FORWARD -------------- ¶4. (C) President Arroyo pledged to continue efforts to reach a comprehensive peace deal with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) insurgents in Mindanao during her final months in office. She suggested that of the dozen or so political figures who had expressed interest in seeking the presidency, only one had voiced an opinion on the peace process -- and that was to speak out against a peace deal. So the next Philippine president might not have the political will to seek peace. The apparent negative attitude of the presidential candidates could work to the benefit of the peace process, President Arroyo asserted, putting pressure on both the government and the MILF to come to terms on an overarching deal before the end of her term. The two sides were currently working on two agreements, to protect civilians in Mindanao and to set up an international contact group to help advise Malaysia, the facilitator of the peace talks, on how to move toward an agreement acceptable to both sides. The goal was to move beyond the narrower agenda of territorial issues and revenue-sharing that had dominated talks last year, and deal with the entire array of concerns that must be addressed. The President acknowledged that the peace effort could be complicated by her concurrent determination to aggressively target terrorists in close proximity to some MILF forces. Some MILF forces had joined MANILA 00001781 002 OF 002 in the Basilan firefight on the side of the ASG, and the MILF leadership had to condemn such actions by rogue elements. SMOOTH TRANSITION OF POWER IN 2010 -------------- ¶5. (C) Noting President Arroyo's eight years in the Philippines' highest office, Senator Nelson said the President had been given an important opportunity to lead and serve the Philippine people. The Senator felt certain that given the President's strong and steady leadership, the upcoming May 2010 national elections would see a peaceful and successful transition of power to a new president. President Arroyo also anticipated a smooth transition of power, saying it had always been part of the Philippine tradition since 1946, except for the martial law period. Senator Nelson expressed confidence that President Arroyo would ensure the transition of power would return to the way it had been, smooth and peaceful. THANKS FOR ADDED VETERANS' BENEFIT -------------- ¶6. (C) Turning to veterans' issues, President Arroyo welcomed the U.S. Senate's role in passing legislation as part of the fiscal stimulus package last February that granted additional benefits to Filipinos who had been called to service by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This was important recognition for the contributions and sacrifices that Filipinos made during the war, the President said, and was deeply appreciated by Filipinos. Senator Nelson noted that it had been somewhat unusual for a benefit for the Philippines to be included in a domestic stimulus package. He noted that justice sometimes takes time to come to fruition. Japanese Americans had waited many decades as well to be compensated for their internment during WWII. NPT: NONPROLIFERATION KEY AREA FOR COOPERATION -------------- - ¶7. (C) Citing another key area for U.S.-Philippine cooperation in the coming months, President Arroyo pledged extremely close cooperation with Washington on the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference. Noting that the Philippines would chair the review conference, and her expectation that President Obama would open the conference on September 24, she voiced determination that the 2010 conference would not be the "disaster" that many viewed the 2005 conference to be. Secretary Romulo said that the Philippines wanted to help attain President Obama's goal of enacting the NPT and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) during his term in office. Senator Nelson lauded the Philippine government's intentions, and said that the goal was to reduce warheads eventually to the level of 600. He said that once a good treaty was ready, he looked forward to working to ratify it in the U.S. Senate. SHARP CRITICISM OF BURMA -------------- ¶8. (C) Underscoring her government's strong condemnation of the Burmese junta's conviction and sentencing of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK),President Arroyo said she might ask her ASEAN partners to consider reviewing Burma's membership in the organization, based on its leaders' failure to make progress on the roadmap to democracy. She said it would be extremely difficult to convince other ASEAN members to reach consensus on this, as some -- like the Thai prime minister -- were advocating closer engagement with Burma as the best way to improve the country's poor human rights and political record. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Romulo added that the Thais believed that it was U.S. engagement -- and pressure -- that had forced the junta to reduce ASSK's sentence, and to release John Yettaw. ¶9. (U) Senator Nelson's delegation cleared this cable. KENNEY