SULTAN: BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH THE US "EXCELLENT"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000290


DEPT. FOR EAP/PIMBS
SINGAPORE FOR ARMA
CINCPAC ALSO FOR FPA - AMB. SALMON

E.O. 12958: 4/19/16
TAGS: PREL MARR BX
SUBJECT: SULTAN: BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH THE US "EXCELLENT"


1. CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR THERESA A. TULL.
REASON: 1.5(B) AND (D).


2. SUMMARY: DURING MY APRIL 16 FAREWELL CALL,
THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI WAS EFFUSIVE IN EXPRESSING
HIS SATISFACTION WITH THE "EXCELLENT" STATE OF
THE US-BRUNEIAN RELATIONSHIP, AND HIGHLY
COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT WHAT HE PERCEIVES TO BE MY
ROLE IN CONTRIBUTING TO THIS. HE NOTED HIS
PLEASURE AT HIS APEC CONTACTS WITH PRESIDENT
CLINTON; I SAID I HOPED THAT THE CANCELLED OSAKA
MEETING COULD BE RESCHEDULED FOR MANILA. THE
SULTAN REPEATED HIS APPRECIATION OF THE US
FORWARD-DEPLOYED PRESENCE IN THE REGION, AND
INDICATED SOME CONCERN ABOUT RECENT CHINESE
BEHAVIOR.


3. I THANKED HIS MAJESTY FOR HIS COOPERATION ON
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN, AND
ASKED THAT HE CONSIDER AIDING THE BOSNIAN TRAIN
AND EQUIP EFFORT. I ALSO THANKED HIM FOR
SELECTING THE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER FOR HIS AIR
FORCE, AND PUT IN A WORD ON BEHALF OF THE
HARPOON AND SEA SPARROW MISSILE SYSTEMS BEING
CONSIDERED FOR BRUNEI'S OFFSHORE PATROL
VESSELS. END SUMMARY


4. I PAID MY FAREWELL CALL ON SULTAN HASSANAL
BOLKIAH APRIL 16. THE SULTAN LAUNCHED OUR
DISCUSSION BY EXPRESSING HIS COMPLETE
SATISFACTION WITH WHAT HE TERMED THE "VERY
EXCELLENT" STATE OF THE US-BRUNEIAN BILATERAL
RELATIONSHIP. HE SAID THAT THE RELATIONSHIP HAD
ALWAYS BEEN VERY GOOD, BUT THAT COOPERATION
BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES HAD INCREASED
MARKEDLY, HE THOUGHT, DURING MY TENURE AS
AMBASSADOR. HE THANKED ME FOR WHAT HE PERCEIVED
TO BE MY ROLE IN THIS ACHIEVEMENT.

PRAISE FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON
--------------


5. THE SULTAN RECALLED FONDLY HIS PARTICIPATION
IN THE BLAKE ISLAND APEC LEADERS MEETING, WHERE
HE HAD FIRST MET PRESIDENT CLINTON. HE SAID
THAT HE LIKED VERY MUCH THE PRESIDENT'S WARM,
INFORMAL MANNER, AND REMEMBERED THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAD TOLD HIM THAT THE TWO WERE VERY
NEARLY THE SAME AGE. HE SAID HE HAD WELCOMED
SEEING THE PRESIDENT AGAIN AT THE BOGOR APEC
MEETING.


6. I TOLD THE SULTAN THAT THE PRESIDENT HAD
REGRETTED HAVING TO CANCEL HIS PARTICIPATION AT
THE OSAKA APEC MEETING, AND HIS PLANNED
BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE SULTAN, FOR WHICH THE
LATTER HAD RESCHEDULED HIS TRIP TO OSAKA. THE
SULTAN SAID THAT HE COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD THE
REASON FOR THE THIS. I TOLD HIM THAT I HOPED
THAT THE TWO WOULD BE ALBLE TO RESCHEDULE THE
BILATERAL FOR THE MANILA APEC MEETING, BUT
CAUTIONED THAT I COULD NOT BE CERTAIN THAT THLS
COULD BE ARRANGED.

THE US IS A PROTECTIVE PRESENCE IN THE REGION
--------------


7. THE SULTAN REPEATED HIS PREVIOUSLY STATED
APPRECIATION FOR THE U.S. FORWARD-DEPLOYED
MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE REGION, WHICH HE SAID
KEEPS THE REGION STABLE. HE WELCOMES THE
PRESENCE OF THE 7TH FLEET IN THE REGION (TWO OF
WHOSE FRIGATES WILL BE IN BRUNEI APRIL 22-27 FOR
BILATERAL EXERCISES).


8. ON CHINA, THE SULTAN SAID THAT THE RECENT
CHINESE INTIMIDATION OF TAIWAN HAD BEEN A CAUSE
FOR CONCERN. HE SAID THAT THE U.S. IS A
SUPERPOWER, BUT IS WELCOMED AS A HELPFUL
PRESENCE, IN THE REGION TO PROTECT IT AND
PROVIDE SECURITY. CHINA IS SOMETIMES A SOURCE
OF WORRY TO ITS REGIONAL NEIGHBORS, HE SAID. HE
EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THE U.S. WOULD PROTECT
TAIWAN IF NEED BE.

COOPERATION ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, BOSNIA
TRAIN AND EQUIP
--------------


9. I THANKED THE SULTAN FOR HIS HIGH PRAISE OF
THE STATUS OF THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP, AND CITED
BRUNEI'S CONTRIBUTION TO THIS, SUCH AS THE
CONCLUSION OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON
DEFENSE COOPERATION, AND BRUNEI'S COOPERATION,
INCLUDING SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS,
ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN. I
SAID THAT MY GOVERNMENT WAS MOST APPRECIATIVE OF
HIS GOVERNMENT'S HELP ON KEDO, AID TO THE
PALESTINIANS, AND ON BOSNIA. I WELCOMED
BRUNEI'S RECENT PLEDGE OF $8 MILLION TO AID
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN BOSNIA. I THEN NOTED
THE CONTINUING NEED FOR FUNDS TO LAUNCH THE
IMPORTANT BOSNIAN TRAIN AND EQUIP PROGRAM. I
SAID THAT I WAS AWARE OF HIS GOVERNMENT'S
RELUCTANCE TO BREAK WITH TRADITION AND PROVIDE
MILITARY INSTEAD OF HUMANITARIAN AID, BUT
SUGGESTED THAT THIS UNIQUE SITUATION MIGHT PROVE
A WORTHWHILE EXCEPTION TO BRUNEI'S POLICY, AND
ASKED THAT HE CONSIDER A CONTRIBUTION. HE WAS
NONCOMMITTAL BUT SAID HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE
BOSNIAN MUSLIMS NEEDED HELP IN THIS REGARD.

MILITARY SALES EFFORTS
--------------


10. I THANKED THE SULTAN FOR SELECTING
SIKORSKY'S BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER FOR HIS AIR
FORCE. HE SAID THAT THE BLACKHAWK WAS POWERFUL,
HE LIKED FLYING HIS, AND HIS AIR FORCE HAD
WANTED IT. I THEN MENTIONED THAT TWO U.S.
MISSILES WERE IN THE RUNNING FOR PLACEMENT, IN
SEPARATE SYSTEMS, ON BRUNEI'S OFFSHORE PATROL
VESSELS, THE HARPOON AND THE SEA SPARROW. IN A
VERY LOW-KEY FASHION, I EXPRESSED THE BELIEF
THAT THESE BIDDERS WOULD RECEIVE A FAIR HEARING,
AND THE HOPE THAT THE SYSTEMS WOULD BE
SELECTED. THE SULTAN WAS NONCOMMITTAL, SAYING
ONLY THAT A COMMITTEE WAS REVIEWING THESE BIDS
AND HE HAD NOT YET RECEIVED A RECOMMENDATION.

COMMENT
--------------


11. THE SULTAN WAS OBVIOUSLY SINCERE IN HIS
SATISFACTION WITH THE STATE OF THE BILATERAL
RELATIONSHIP, HIS ADMIRATION FOR PRESIDENT
CLINTON, AND IN HIS CONTINUING APPRECIATION FOR
THE POSITIVE ROLE THE U.S. MILITARY PLAYS IN THE
ASIA PACIFIC REGION. HIS APPRECIATION LIKELY
HAS BEEN HEIGHTENED BY HIS ACKNOWLEDGED CONCERN
ABOUT CHINA'S RECENT BEHAVIOR.


12. CONCERN ABOUT CHINA AND APPRECIATION FOR
THE U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE REGION ARE
THEMES WHICH HAVE BEEN REFLECTED IN SEVERAL OF
MY FAREWELL CALL DISCUSSIONS WITH SENIOR
OFFICIALS. THE APRIL 22-27 BILATERAL NAVAL
EXERCISES HERE WITH TWO FRIGATES OF THE 7TH
FLEET ARE WELL-TIMED TO PROVIDE WELCOME PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE OF THE U.S. PRESENCE. THE BRUNEIANS
ARE COOPERATING WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN THE WEEK'S
PROGRAM, NOT ONLY IN THE ACTUAL EXERCISES
THEMSELVES, BUT IN HOUSING, FEEDING, AND
TRANSPORTING A SMALL 7TH FLEET BAND WHICH WILL
PERFORM SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE SHIPS' STAY.
THIS UNPREDECENTED LEVEL OF COOPERATION MAY HAVE
BEEN TRIGGERED IN PART BY UNEASE OVER CHINA.


13. WE SHOULD NOT TAKE BRUNEI'S COOPERATION
WITH THE U.S. ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES FOR
GRANTED. THE PERSONAL TOUCH IS MOST IMPORTANT,
AND THE SULTAN'S SENSE OF PERSONAL RAPPORT WITH
THE PRESIDENT IS GENUINE. THE DECISION LAST
YEAR TO SEEK A BILATERAL MEETING BETWEEN THE
PRESIDENT AND THE SULTAN DURING THE APEC
LEADERS' MEETING, TO THANK HIM FOR THIS
COOPERATION, WAS A WISE ONE. I RECOMMEND THAT
THE BILATERAL MEETING BE RESCHEDULED FOR THE
PHILIPPINES' APEC MEETINGS. IT IS NOT ONLY THE
POLITE THING TO DO, BUT IT COULD PAY DIVIDENDS
IN TERMS OF FUTURE COOPERATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS
TO INTERNATIONAL CAUSES SUPPORTED BY THE U.S.
END COMMENT


TULL