PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER, AND SPEAKER OF MONGOLIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ULAANBAATAR 000201 STATE FOR EAP/CM AND FOR H (PASS TO LYNNEA SHANE AND JOHN LIS) E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EMIN EINV MG SUBJECT: PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER, AND SPEAKER OF MONGOLIA COMMENT ON THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP DURING CODEL PRICE Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Covington, Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On June 29 and 30, Members of the Congressional Delegation headed by Rep. David Price of North Carolina met with Speaker Demberel, Prime Minister Bayar, and President Elbegdorj during the course of a day and a half of meetings with Mongolian parliamentarians. In addition to discussing the work of the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC),the meetings with top leaders focused on the process of passing mining legislation in Mongolia; elements of the bilateral relationship such as the Millennium Challenge Compact, military cooperation in Afghanistan, and the Fulbright program; Mongolia's relations with China, Russia, and the two Koreas; the environmental situation in Mongolia; and the efforts of the coalition government. End Summary. -------------- FOCUS OF THE DELEGATION -------------- ¶2. (SBU) CODEL Price came to Mongolia to further the work of the House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC),which Rep. Price chairs. The HDAC has been involved with Mongolia for three years, both sending delegations to Ulaanbaatar and funding travel and training for Mongolian MPs and staffers in Washington. The most recent tranches of Mongolian staffers traveled to the United States in late 2008 to learn from U.S. counterparts about budget analysis and committee operations. Rep. Price was joined by Rep. Buchanan (FL),Rep. Cooper (TN),Rep. Gingrey (GA),Rep. Etheridge (NC),and Rep. McDermott (WA). -------------- -------------- SPEAKER DEMBEREL SETS A POSITIVE TONE FOR THE VISIT -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Speaker Demberel met with the Delegation on June 29 at the head of the official agenda. Demberel set a positive tone by thanking Members for the comprehensive bilateral partnership and reiterating Mongolia's regard for the United States as its "third neighbor." Demberel reviewed the many parliamentary exchanges to date, including his own travel to the United States in recent years and noting also the productive June 9 meeting between Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Batbold. Demberel expressed particular satisfaction with the person-to-person relationships and friendships that have resulted from our repeated exchanges. ¶4. (SBU) Demberel expressed appreciation for MCC programs and for the recently passed Senate Resolution 192 on U.S.-Mongolian relations. Demberel noted he wishes to expand our relationship in the areas of trade and economic cooperation. Furthermore, he expressed appreciation for the many educational exchange opportunities with the United States and asked the Delegation to support the idea, as initially presented by Foreign Minister Batbold on June 9 to Secretary Clinton, that the number of these exchanges be increased through joint funding. Demberel also thanked the International Republic Institute (IRI) for its support of Mongolia's transition to a parliamentary democracy. ¶5. (SBU) Rep. Price expressed appreciation for the many interactions over the past three years since the HDAC first began its involvement in Mongolia. The Delegation noted the progress the State Great Hural has made in expanding its legal department, creating a modern research service, passing ethics legislation, and enhancing the role of committees in the functioning of Parliament. Rep. Price expressed gratitude for Mongolia's support in Afghanistan. ¶6. (SBU) Speaker Demberel characterized the setup of the coalition government as of great significance, in that this satisfies the demands of ordinary people to develop Mongolia. Demberel said the coalition wishes to take development to the next level, and the first step in doing so is to bring Mongolia's mineral resources into play. He stated that Mongolia is not sure of the resources that are required for Mongolia to overcome the financial crisis, but that he would like our guidance in this regard. ¶7. (SBU) Demberel noted in closing that the reputation of the Parliament is not very high, and that he appreciates our efforts to improve the situation. -------------- -------------- REMARKS BY PRIME MINISTER BAYAR ON THE RELATIONSHIP -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) PM Bayar reiterated Demberel's remarks about strengthening Mongolia's institutions of democracy and about how the relationship has grown in particular in the past two years, starting with the 2007 Declaration of Principles. Bayar also thanked the Delegation for Senate Resolution 192 and expressed appreciation of our close inter-parliamentary ties. ¶9. (SBU) Rep. Price also acknowledged that the relationship has developed, noting in particular Mongolian participation in Afghanistan, the MCC, and ongoing Transparency Agreement talks. Rep. Price described the activities of this HDAC visit and its onward travel to Southeast Asia, and followed up with a question on the status of the mining law in Mongolia. -------------- PRIME MINISTER BAYAR ON MINING -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Bayar said June 29 has been an important day, and that he had met with MPRP caucus leader Lundeejantsan and DP caucus leader Saikhanbileg to discuss the progress toward an agreement on the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) copper and gold mine in southern Mongolia. Bayar said he was seeking real progress, that too much time had been wasted, and that "we are keeping our fingers crossed" to complete an agreement by July 10 (the day before the national Naadam festival begins). He described the situation as "quite promising" and said Minerals and Energy Minister Zorigt (MPRP) had done a great job. Bayar said the draft agreement was the best version of the deal and he hoped both caucuses can adopt it. (Note: Caucus leaders Lundeejantsan and Saikhanbileg were sitting on either side of him at this meeting. End Note.) ¶11. (SBU) When asked if there would be an up-or-down vote, Bayar said he had discussed this with leading MPs, noting this would be the first time the Parliament would adopt such a document. He commented that, in most countries the government can negotiate in accordance with the law, but that in Mongolia Parliament must make a final approval, leading to much back and forth between the GOM working group and Parliament. Bayar said he believed this not to be a good form of governance, and that one goal must be to modify the situation. ¶12. (SBU) Bayar warned there had been a resurgence in resource nationalism in Mongolia since the time following passage of the latest version of the minerals law in 2006, and that this resurgence presented a greater challenge for any mining agreements. Bayar hoped that this summer would be the starting point for large projects like OT and Tavan Tolgoi (a world-class coking coal deposit in southern Mongolia). Bayar noted that TT offers more room to maneuver in terms of partners that can be brought in. ¶13. (C) Bayar stated that uranium is of interest in the mining sector, that he had traveled to Russia last year and this year to discuss the subject, and that Mongolia has had many official meetings with the IAEA, including a visit to Ulaanbaatar by Mohamed El Baradei in April 2009. Bayar expressed that any uranium cooperation in Mongolia should be with more than two participants. Bayar noted that Mongolia has two projects with the Russians and Japanese in eastern Mongolia: one in Dornod province and the other in Eastern Gobi province. Bayar emphasized that Western Prospector (WP) had invested in the Dornod area and that the Chinese had recently purchased WP. Bayar noted also the GOM is currently negotiating with the Chinese side. As for the Eastern Gobi site, Areva (France) has been there since the 1990s and Kuwait was later brought in for the financing. ¶14. (SBU) Bayar warned that the GOM will face criticism for the OT deal no matter how it is structured, so he said the parties and the new president must stand together to present the deal to the public and to explain why a deal that includes international best practices and standards is necessary. -------------- BAYAR ON THE ENVIRONMENT -------------- ¶15. (SBU) In response to a question on mining affecting the environment, the PM said the top problem facing Mongolia at the moment is economic, but that the environmental protection element of the potential OT agreement is the best part of the document because Rio Tinto is well known for having a good record dealing with environmental issues. The PM noted separately that the initial passage of OT would create 3,000 jobs and lead to 15,000 more jobs in the next few years. He also explained that there are 40,000 young Mongolians now earning up to $1,000 per month in South Korea, and that his goal is to offer this level of salary in Mongolia through the mining sector. ¶16. (C) Regarding the TT coal mine, Bayar stated that China is the market. He noted that the environment is of significant interest to Mongolians. Bayar said when he was in China in April that he told authorities there he welcomed the involvement of the Shenhua company but would appreciate if Shenhua would come in with a U.S. partner -- one that has environmentally friendly standards. Bayar stated that environmental protection laws were prepared well in Mongolia but that enforcement was a challenge. He said to make any mining deal proper and environmentally friendly, we must have environmentally responsible companies invest. Bayar followed this by stating that if Peabody Coal were to come on as an operator at TT, this would give the Mongolians the feeling that they were on the safe side. -------------- BAYAR ON MCC -------------- ¶17. (SBU) In response to a question about how MCC rail money will now be used, the PM said there are several directions this may take, but that any spending should focus on improving ordinary people's lives. Bayar noted in particular how the heating of the many gers in Ulaanbaatar in winter had produced air quality that is "simply awful." Bayar reiterated that FM Batbold had discussed MCC funding with Secretary Clinton in Washington and said he would appreciate if the Members would support new, alternative projects in Mongolia. -------------- BAYAR ON CHINA -------------- ¶18. (C) In response to a question on immigration from China, Bayar termed the immigration of Chinese laborers a foreign policy issue, stating that demographic pressure from China is clear. Bayar noted, however, that Beijing does not have an aggressive policy toward Mongolia, but rather that there is a natural pressure of population, finance and investment. The PM stated that the presence of Russia is a natural counterweight to China but that Russia alone is not enough to provide a proper balance. Rather, Bayar stated Mongolia requires strong relations through its "Third Neighbor" policy with countries such as the United States, Europe, and democracies in Asia. -------------- REQUEST FOR DEMBEREL TO VISIT THE STATES -------------- ¶19. (U) Bayar closed by reiterating that Speaker Demberel wishes to come to the United States in 2010 "with a huge delegation of both parties." -------------- REMARKS BY PRESIDENT ELBEGDORJ ON MINING -------------- ¶20. (SBU) The Delegation's meeting with President Elbegdorj immediately followed the meeting with Bayar. Discussion focused initially on HDAC programs with the State Great Hural. Elbegdorj responded to a question on mining by describing the current situation. He noted the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) copper and gold mine is the first mega-project in the country, and as such Mongolia did not want to make a mistake. He stated that Mongolia wants to learn from the best practices available, that all parties in Mongolia were expressing their opinions in the formulation of the law, and that Mongolia is approaching the final stage toward reaching a full agreement. Elbegdorj further noted the Mongolian side must consider the full range of labor, environmental, and corporate standards; that there are national security dimensions to such an agreement; and that Mongolia must retain good relations with its two big neighbors. Elbegdorj stated that now is the time to find a good compromise, and that if Parliament can support one of the two proposals for an equity share arrangement, then an agreement would be forged. ¶21. (SBU) Note: Elbegdorj was referring to two alternate OT proposals: one that would contain an equity share of 34 percent for the GOM and a second that had no equity share for the GOM but provided much higher tax revenues. As of July 7, the party caucuses have agreed to and Standing Committees in Parliament are now discussing the first option with the equity share. End Note. -------------- ELBEGDORJ ON TRADE AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES -------------- ¶22. (SBU) In response to a question from Rep. Buchanan, President Elbegdorj noted Mongolia's difficulties with unemployment and the level of skilled labor. He welcomed expanded trade and educational exchange, noting Mongolia is ready to provide matching funds to expand the Fulbright program. -------------- ELBEGDORJ ON AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶23. (SBU) Elbegdorj stated he supports U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and reiterated the GOM's decision to contribute troops to the international effort. He added in a constructive tone that he knows the United States must pay attention to its enemies, but hopes that we also pay attention to our friends, like Mongolia, as well. -------------- ELBEGDORJ ON NORTH KOREA -------------- ¶24. (C) In response to questions from Reps. Gingrey and McDermott on how the U.S. should relate to the DPRK, Elbegdorj stated that Mongolia must keep open its channel with the DPRK, and that Mongolia can be a good partner for mediating, noting Mongolia's past hosting of talks between Japan and the DPRK on normalization of relations, held in 2007 in parallel with the Six Party Talks. Elbegdorj also noted that the DPRK has some interest in how Mongolia is making the transition from a planned to a market economy. He also stated the DPRK is interested in what happened to Mongolia's former Communist leaders -- specifically that they are now living in modern Mongolian society. Elbegdorj said he thinks the United States and the ROK have the capability to respond to the DPRK threat, thereby implying that he believes the DPRK has no intention to start a war. He noted the DPRK is trying to attract the interest of the superpowers, and that Mongolians understand their game. ¶25. (SBU) In closing, Elbegdorj noted the importance of democracy in Mongolia and its parallels with the events in Eastern Europe in 1989, the fact that he was the first Mongolian president from the Democratic Party, the need for Mongolia to fight corruption as he stated in his inaugural address, and the need for Mongolia to develop its capable population by training engineers, workers, and managers. He discussed his opposition last year to the formation of the current coalition government, but tempered this by noting that now is a time of financial crisis and that if the coalition government cam make a good response to these difficulties, the coalition will have been worthwhile. MINTON