UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 122429

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV PREL XB XC XE XU XV ZO
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT HAS HISTORIC MEET WITH ASEAN LEADERS


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On November 15 in Singapore, President
Obama participated in the first U.S. - Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders, Meeting with all 10
ASEAN countries. The meeting was an opportunity to highlight
increased U.S. engagement with ASEAN and the region
generally. Key outcomes of the meeting will be more
cabinet-level interactions between U.S. and ASEAN
counterparts, creation of an eminent persons group and
cooperation on climate change, disaster assistance and human
rights. The President also used the meeting to press on
human rights in Burma. Participating nations expressed
strong appreciation for the United States, greater attention
to the region and called for more cooperation in a range of
areas. Notably, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet said
in his remarks that the United States had critical security
role to play in the region; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
Razak asked for U.S. Peace Corps assistance to ASEAN,s
efforts to create a comparable ASEAN Volunteers program; and
Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein spoke on the importance of
cooperation in climate change. The clear message from the
Leaders, Meeting was the increased U.S. focus on ASEAN and
the Asian region - a message well received by the
participating leaders. End Summary.

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An Historic Meeting
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2. (U) On November 15, in Singapore, for the first time a
U.S. President met with all 10 ASEAN leaders. The Leaders,
Meeting served to highlight increased U.S. engagement with
ASEAN countries and Asia generally, and to recognize ASEAN,s
growing potential as a partner on global issues. This
meeting capped two earlier visits by Secretary Clinton to the
region, including a visit to the ASEAN Secretariat in
February and the signing of the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation (TAC) between the United States and ASEAN in
July. ASEAN,s participation in this year,s G-20 was a

significant milestone in ASEAN,s emergence onto the global
stage, though the President stopped short of inviting ASEAN
participation in future meetings.


3. (U) The Leaders, Meeting Joint Statement outlined the
U.S. commitment to expand interactions, including another

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Leaders, Meeting in 2010 and additional cabinet-level
meetings, such as with Energy Secretary Chu and U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR) Ambassador Kirk and their counterparts.
(Note: The full text of the Joint Statement is available at
http://asean-us-partnership.org/
uploads/asean-us-leaders-meeting-joint-statem ent.pdf. End
Note.) The United States will also consult on the ASEAN
Defense Minister (ADMM) Plus mechanism to determine whether
that may serve as a future Secretary-level interaction. In
addition, the United States and ASEAN will establish an
eminent persons group to include notables from the business
community, former government service and academia. This
group will raise the profile of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation,
identify areas for addition initiatives and report back to
the leaders on their recommendations.


4. (U) Key areas for future cooperation included disaster
management, human rights and climate change. The recent
spate of natural disasters in the region prompted a focus on
disaster preparedness in the Joint Statement. Programs
identified were support for an ASEAN multi-hazard early
warning system, public-private partnership for pandemic
preparedness and for the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster
Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). To assist
ASEAN,s efforts on human rights, the United States will
continue its support to the ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and to the creation of a
non-governmental Human Rights Resource Center for ASEAN
(AHRRC), which will be hosted at the University of Indonesia
and linked to a network of universities throughout ASEAN.
U.S. assistance will also be directed to climate change, with
funding for a climate change advisor at the ASEAN Secretariat
and for ASEAN,s efforts to create and implement a climate
change work plan.

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The Push On Burma
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5. (SBU) Using the Leaders, Meeting as an opportunity to
speak directly to the ASEAN leaders and PM Thein Sein,
President Obama called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
and other political prisoners, and for the Burmese government
to seek reconciliation with opposition and ethnic groups.
U.S. negotiators had attempted to include in the Joint
Statement language calling for the release of Aung San Suu
Kyi and other political prisoners but a consensus position
could not be achieved. Importantly, the Joint Statement

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does call for a dialogue among all Burmese stakeholders to
ensure a fully inclusive political process in the lead-up to
the 2010 elections, and references the July 2009 42nd Foreign
Ministers meeting Communiqu, which calls for the release of
political prisoners in Burma.

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Positive Reactions
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6. (SBU) In their statements all the ASEAN Leaders expressed
appreciation for increased U.S. engagement with ASEAN.
Notable statements included the emphasis by the Vietnamese
President on the importance of the U.S. role in supporting
regional security. (Comment: Such a view expressed by a
Vietnamese leader reflects a significant change in that
country,s perspective of the regional geo-political
situation and the general security concerns expressed by
Vietnamese officials in other settings. End Comment)
Malaysian PM Najib asked for U.S. Peace Corps support for the
ASEAN Volunteer program which, similar to the Peace Corps,
will deploy young volunteers within ASEAN to disadvantaged
areas to assist community development. Burmese PM Thein Sein
spoke on the need for cooperation with the U.S. on climate
change and the environment.

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Comment
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7. (SBU) The Leaders, Meeting served the key purpose of
demonstrating an enhanced U.S. engagement with the ASEAN
region. The President,s presence and commitment for another
meeting in 2010 were seen as tangible indications of this new
engagement as were the other commitments to cabinet-level
interactions. The ASEAN leaders, remarks reflected a
consistent recognition that in a range of critical areas,
from regional security to climate change, the United States
is an important partner. To sustain this new level of
interaction, resources and effort will need to be directed to
implementing all aspects of the joint statement such as on
the Eminent Persons Group and visits by the Human Rights
Commissioners.
CLINTON