NEXT STEPS ON VFA AND MARINE LCPL DANIEL SMITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 000326 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2019 TAGS: PREL MARR KCRM CASC RP SUBJECT: NEXT STEPS ON VFA AND MARINE LCPL DANIEL SMITH REF: MANILA 307 (COURT UPHOLDS VFA RULES MARINE SHOULD BE IN RP CUSTODY) Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 11. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: Mission continued its intensive efforts to ascertain Philippine government views and intentions following the Philippine Supreme Court's Feb. 11 decision upholding the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) but directing the Philippine government to negotiate without delay with the U.S. on placing U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Daniel J. Smith in a Philippine detention facility (reftel). In a private meeting with the Ambassador Feb. 12, Foreign Secretary Romulo fully agreed on the need to move deliberately on the detention issue and welcomed the concept of an exchange of diplomatic notes that laid out each government's general positions on the issue. Public comments by other senior Philippine officials echoed Romulo's view that this would be a lengthy and careful process that should be carried out without weakening our strong security relationship. Philippine legal authorities suggested an appeal for reconsideration of the Supreme Court decision was likely, which could delay finalization of the court ruling up to two months. Text of a proposed diplomatic note to the Philippine government on the VFA and the detention issue is included in paragraph 11. Mission believes that shifting the locus of discussion of the detention issue to Washington will help mitigate the intense political, media and public scrutiny the issue engenders throughout the Philippines, and lessen the potential for demonstrations and protests by leftist activists. END SUMMARY. NO UNDUE HASTE -------------- ¶3. (C) During a lunch meeting February 12 with Foreign Secretary Romulo, the Ambassador noted the two very distinct decisions in the Feb. 11 Supreme Court ruling on the VFA. On one hand, the decision represented a clear victory for the legality of the VFA, with a strong majority of justices voting 9-4 the agreement was constitutional, the second time the court had so ruled. At the same time, the justices ruled the Philippine government erred in its interpretation of the VFA in allowing the U.S. to maintain custody of LCPL Smith after his December 1996 conviction. This was a complex legal question that would require consideration by an array of U.S. government agencies with equities in the Smith case and the VFA. The VFA is an executive agreement that has the force of a treaty under international law and is legally binding on the U.S. Thus, it was vital to move with great deliberation to find a mutually acceptable outcome, and not make any hasty moves that put at risk one of the key elements of our security alliance. ¶4. (C) Foreign Secretary Romulo voiced strong agreement on the fundamental importance of the VFA, and welcomed the Supreme Court's reaffirmation of its constitutionality. He noted the need to begin a dialogue on the detention issue singled out by the court, but stressed his expectation this would be a measured process and suggested that no in-depth discussion on the detention issue -- and LCPL Smith's specific case -- would begin until the Supreme Court decision became final, after any motions for reconsideration were decided. Meanwhile, he welcomed the concept of a diplomatic note from the USG that would acknowledge the fact of the Supreme Court's decision and the need for a mutually acceptable resolution. This would allow the Philippine government to demonstrate it was carrying out the court's order to negotiate "forthwith" on the issue with the USG. Some reference to the fact that the U.S. considers the VFA to have the force of law even though it was not ratified by the U.S. Senate would also have a positive impact. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS -------------- ¶5. (C) Secretary Romulo's private comments on the need for caution were echoed by other senior leaders Feb. 12. A key political ally of President Arroyo, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, whose department oversees LCPL Smith's custody, said Malacanang Palace would "go very slow" on the detention issue until the Department of Foreign Affairs negotiates an agreement on Smith's status so as not to strain ties with the U.S. Puno suggested this would be a long process and said he wanted to avoid prejudging the outcome of the negotiation. Using the Supreme Court's MANILA 00000326 002 OF 003 language from the Feb. 12 decision, he said the "status quo" remains regarding LCpl Smith's custody at the U.S. Embassy until an agreement is worked out. Cabinet Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita echoed the status quo comment. MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION -------------- ¶6. (C) Senior Philippine legal officials suggested that the Supreme Court's Feb. 11 decision would not be final until all appeals have been exhausted. Under Philippine law, the parties have 15 days to file motions for reconsideration. While the Philippine Supreme Court generally dismisses such requests, it often takes as long as 60 days to complete the process. Philippine Solicitor General Devanadera predicted the leftist activists who filed the original challenge to the VFA with the Supreme Court would likely submit a motion for reconsideration of the constitutionality of the VFA. Devanadera said the Philippine government is also weighing a partial motion for reconsideration that would address only the custody portions of the decision, but admitted her concern such a motion could be perceived as "lawyering for the United States." According to Devanadera, even if expeditiously addressed by the Supreme Court, a motion for reconsideration could effectively delay the Supreme Court decision for two months. A senior legal advisor at the Department of Foreign Affairs concurred with the Solicitor General's assessment. NEXT STEPS -------------- ¶7. (C) We will continue our intensive discussions with President Arroyo's top advisors in coming days. So far, our soundings indicate that senior-most levels of the Philippine government share our assessment of the gravity of the Supreme Court's divided ruling and the need to move cautiously toward a mutually acceptable resolution. They clearly welcome the court's reaffirmation of the constitutionality of the VFA, and recognize the inherent difficulty in the court's reinterpretation of detention procedures LCpl Smith has been held under to date. ¶8. (C) However, we detect a real concern among Philippine officials. While the Supreme Court specifically stated LCpl Smith should remain in U.S. Embassy custody during "negotiations" over appropriate detention facilities and imposed no timetable for negotiation, the Court has also retained jurisdiction of the case. Several Philippine officials have indicated their concern that, should the Court believe our two governments are not expeditiously conducting discussions on detention facilities, it could issue "further orders" directing the Philippine government to take more drastic action, up to and including the immediate transfer of Smith to Philippine authorities. ¶9. (C) To forestall any such actions, and to bolster efforts by Foreign Secretary Romulo and other long-time supporters of the VFA in the Philippine government, Mission suggests that the Department consider presenting a diplomatic note to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., that could, among other points, reaffirm the importance of our security alliance, acknowledge the Philippine Supreme Court's Feb. 11 decision, welcome the reaffirmation of the VFA's constitutionality, and reiterate that the VFA is a legally binding agreement. CLARIFICATION, NOT NEGOTIATION -------------- ¶10. (C) Post believes it to be important that the scope of future discussions over the detention issue be clearly delineated. The Philippine Supreme Court decision only requires action on one existing VFA provision that was left by the drafters to be defined at some point in the future, i.e. Art. V section 10, which reads, "(T)he confinement or detention by Philippine authorities shall be carried out in facilities agreed on by appropriate Philippine and United States authorities." Any broader negotiation or redefinition of the meaning of the VFA would likely be considered an entirely new VFA that would require ratification by the Philippine Senate. Post advises strongly against undertaking any such negotiation. The proposed diplomatic note is intended only to acknowledge the fact of the Supreme Court's decisions regarding the VFA, and give the USG some breathing space to come up with a considered response on how we can best resolve the differing interpretations we now appear to have with the Philippines over the question of custody after conviction. Having the Department transmit the note to the MANILA 00000326 003 OF 003 Philippine Embassy would further remove the issue from the intense glare of publicity here in the Philippines, where the LCpl Smith case remains highly inflammatory at every level of society. The perception that only the Embassy is handling the issue increases the likelihood that we will face the kind of demonstrations and protests that have marked earlier high-profile phases of the LCpl Smith case. PROPOSED DIPLOMATIC NOTE -------------- ¶11. (U) Suggested text for a diplomatic note to the Philippine Embassy is attached for interagency consideration: The Department of State presents its compliments to the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines and takes note of the Philippine Supreme Court decision in the case of Suzette Nicolas y Sombilon v. Alberto Romulo et al, promulgated February 11, 2009. The Department welcomes the Supreme Court's reaffirmation of the constitutionality of U.S.-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement. The United States considers the VFA a legally binding document with the force of a treaty that is essential to the successful implementation of our bilateral security alliance. The Department and other relevant agencies will carefully review all the elements of the decision, including the issue of detention. The Department of State avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines the assurances of its highest consideration. KENNEY