Wikileaks: 06HANOI249, EAP A/S Hill's Meeting with Vietnamese FM Nguyen [-US concerns over Hun Xen]

For example, the situation in Cambodia is

worrisome. Hun Sen is creating problems and may be turning

Cambodia into the next Burma. FM Nien responded that Hun

Sen "will listen if you speak frankly to him."

Reference ID: 06HANOI249

Created: 2006-02-06 09:47

Released: 2011-08-30 01:44

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Origin: Embassy Hanoi

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SUBJECT: EAP A/S Hill's Meeting with Vietnamese FM Nguyen

Dzy Nien

HANOI 00000249 001.2 OF 002

¶1. (SBU) Summary: During his meeting January 13 with

Foreign Minister Nguyen Dzy Nien, EAP Assistant Secretary

Christopher R. Hill underlined the need for the United

States and Vietnam to systematize their bilateral

discussions on issues of mutual interest, such as Burma and

Cambodia; expressed support for strong regional

architecture; and pressed Vietnam to make progress on WTO

and improve its human rights situation. FM Nien pledged to

work closely with the United States to make the President's

November visit to Hanoi a success; said Vietnam would

welcome and strongly support the United States as an

observer at the East Asia Summit; noted that the DPRK's

foreign minister plans to visit Vietnam in the first half of

2006; and agreed that the situations in Burma and Cambodia

are troubling. End Summary.

¶2. (SBU) EAP Assistant Secretary Christopher R. Hill opened

his 30-minute meeting with Foreign Minister Nguyen Dzy Nien

January 13 by outlining his talks earlier in the day with

senior MFA officials responsible for American and Asian

affairs (septels, full participants list in paragraph 10).

These discussions had been valuable and pointed to a need to

systematize bilateral contacts on areas of mutual interest,

such as Southeast Asia and China. The Foreign Minister

responded that, based on the briefing he had received on

these earlier discussions, he shares most of A/S Hill's

views of bilateral, regional and global issues.

High-level Visits to Vietnam

----------------------------

¶3. (SBU) A/S Hill conveyed the greetings of the Secretary,

who had had a valuable meeting with FM Nien in Busan in

November 2005. President Bush himself is looking forward to

visiting Vietnam, to which FM Nien replied that the GVN is

ready to welcome him and work closely with the USG and

Embassy to ensure a successful outcome. Developing a

roadmap for the visit over the next several months would be

useful, FM Nien opined. A/S Hill responded that he plans to

visit Vietnam again, perhaps in the spring, for discussions

on our bilateral agenda.

Regional Issues

---------------

¶4. (SBU) As A/S Hill had told VFM Le Van Bang earlier in the

day, the United States and Vietnam have many issues of

common interest and need to have a structured dialogue to

exchange views. For example, the situation in Cambodia is

worrisome. Hun Sen is creating problems and may be turning

Cambodia into the next Burma. FM Nien responded that Hun

Sen "will listen if you speak frankly to him."

¶5. (SBU) Within ASEAN, Burma remains the odd man out, and

A/S Hill said he would meet the Malaysian Foreign Minister

to discuss this matter later in the week. Instead of

regional actors such as ASEAN, China and India taking turns

shifting responsibility to one another when it comes to

addressing the Burma problem, a more coordinated approach is

needed. Burma has great potential and natural resource

wealth, but the problem is how to develop, FM Nien observed.

The current situation is not good for Burma or the region.

Although ASEAN has its non-interference principle, this does

not mean that it cannot express its views. There are

certain ways that states need to behave, A/S Hill said, and

it is sometimes hard to draw a line between internal and

external affairs. FM Nien expressed his agreement.

¶6. (SBU) Another issue raised in A/S Hill's other meetings

was North Korea. FM Nien noted that the DPRK had reacted

strongly to the July 2004 mass defection of North Koreans

from Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul. Now, both countries

continue to work to "normalize" their relations, and the

DPRK Foreign Minister plans to visit Vietnam in the first

half of 2006. China needs to take greater responsibility

for North Korea, A/S Hill stressed, but the historic nature

of the DPRK-PRC relationship makes this difficult.

¶7. (SBU) On regional architecture, A/S Hill noted that the

December East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur. The U.S.

continues to welcome regional cooperation and integration,

and would pay close attention to the EAS. On the ASEAN

Regional Forum, A/S Hill said that the Secretary plans to

attend this year's meeting in Kuala Lumpur. This reflects

our commitment to the region. FM Nien said that Vietnam

seeks an EAS that is inclusive and would welcome and

strongly support observer status for the United States and

Russia.

HANOI 00000249 002.2 OF 002

WTO

---

¶8. (SBU) FM Nien said Vietnam is looking forward to next

week's bilateral WTO accession talks. A/S Hill replied

that, the sooner Vietnam joins, the sooner Vietnam's economy

will reap the benefits. We should not miss this window of

opportunity, particularly because this is an election year

in the United States. We have to move quickly.

Human Rights

------------

¶9. (SBU) Noting the upcoming Human Rights Dialogue

(scheduled for February 20), A/S hill said it would be

important for DRL A/S Lowenkron to be able to meet whomever

he would like to meet. The United States does not want the

issues of human rights and religious freedom to burden the

bilateral relationship, and we need to see Vietnam make

further progress. FM Nien noted that former Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore had often said that his country

had been able to avoid criticism about its human rights

situation because it was open. FM Nien thus often told his

colleagues in the GVN, including the Ministry of Public

Security, that Vietnam needs to be more open. A/S Hill

agreed, noting that the more open a country is, the stronger

it is.

¶10. (U) Participants:

United States

-------------

Assistant Secretary Christopher R. Hill

Ambassador Michael W. Marine

EAP Special Assistant Kamala Lakhdhir

Pol/C Marc Knapper (notetaker)

Vietnam

-------

Foreign Minister Nien

Assistant Foreign Minister Nguyen Duc Hung

Americas Department Deputy Director Nguyen Anh Dzung

U.S. Desk Director Nguyen Hoanh Nam

U.S. Desk Officer Lai Thai Binh

¶11. (U) A/S Hill has cleared this message.

BOARDMAN