BURMA: AUNG SAN SUU KYI NEW LETTER TO THAN SHWE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000743 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP AND IO E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ETRD BM SUBJECT: BURMA: AUNG SAN SUU KYI NEW LETTER TO THAN SHWE, AND OTHER TOPICS REF: RANGOON 735 Classified By: CDA Larry Dinger for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman and Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) lawyer Nyan Win told us November 12 ASSK has written to Than Shwe to thank him for facilitating recent meetings with A/S Campbell and other diplomats, to pledge cooperation on sanctions and other issues, and to request meetings with the "full strength" NLD Central Executive Committee (CEC) and with Than Shwe. Nyan Win reported ASSK would welcome the idea of another meeting with diplomats from the U.S., EU, Australia, and Canada to follow up on sanctions. ASSK reportedly prefers communicating with the senior generals through police Special Branch (SB) rather than Liaison Minister Aung Kyi. End summary. Another Letter -------------- ¶2. (C) Nyan Win gave U.S., UK, and Australian COMs a read-out of his November 9 and 11 meetings with ASSK. He confirmed that ASSK dictated a letter to Senior General Than Shwe, which Nyan Win dispatched to Nay Pyi Taw November 11 via Police Special Branch and the postal service. The letter uses the same subject line as ASSK's correspondence sent in October, with the intent to emphasize "continuation." The letter contains four themes: --to thank the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC, the senior-most generals) for facilitating the visit of A/S Campbell and for an earlier meeting ASSK had with diplomats from the U.S., UK, and Australia to discuss sanctions. The letter reiterates willingness to cooperate with the GOB regarding sanctions; --to express hope to cooperate with the SPDC on other issues as well, for the interests of the nation; --to request permission to convene a "full strength" NLD CEC meeting at her house. ASSK asks that before the meeting she be allowed to visit three NLD CEC members who are too ill to journey to her house. (Note: ASSK expects NLD Vice Chairman U Tin Oo, who is also under house arrest but is not ailing, to attend the meeting at her house. One of the items on ASSK's agenda is reorganization of the NLD leadership. She realizes there are problems and wants to resolve them); and --to seek a meeting with Than Shwe so ASSK can "explain" her perspective of how the two can work cooperatively for the benefit of the people. (Note: ASSK deliberately used "explain" rather than "discuss" or "engage in dialogue.") Packet of U.S. Sanctions-Related Documents Delivered -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Nyan Win said Police Special Branch delivered the U.S. packet of sanctions-related documents to ASSK earlier this week. The Embassy provided the materials to SB on November 3, as instructed. Nyan Win could not confirm if all the submitted documents were included in the actual delivery. (Note: We are following up with Special Branch.) ASSK on Sanctions Trade-offs -------------- ¶4. (C) The UK had earlier asked Nyan Win to seek ASSK's view about possible "small" trade-offs of sanctions. According to Nyan Win, ASSK replied that she is okay with trading "targeted, small" sanctions to start, maybe some that are "personal" and not politically or economically significant. She emphasized that any such moves should not RANGOON 00000743 002 OF 002 be unilateral. Another Meeting with Diplomats? -------------- ¶5. (C) ASSK said she is interested in another meeting with diplomats from the U.S., the EU, and Australia, "plus Canada," to follow up on the early October conversation about sanctions. She will put that forward via SB. Liaison Minister "of No Use;" Police SB Is Better -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Asked about the possibility of more meetings with the GOB's designated Minister for Relations, Labor Minister Aung Kyi, Nyan Win said ASSK has made clear: "He is of no use to us. He can't respond directly to anything. He always has to refer issues up." Nyan Win said ASSK has decided a better channel is Police SB. Her SB contact "hinted" to her that she should write again to Than Shwe and apparently suggested the topics. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) If SB did indeed suggest the latest ASSK letter and the topics it covers, presumably that was done under direction from above. That would then suggest the senior generals are contemplating allowing the ASSK-NLD meeting that we have been urging and may even be thinking about a meeting with Than Shwe himself. We will see. DINGER