R 160903Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3217
INFO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
SECDEF WASHDC
NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000148 
 
 
SINGAPORE FOR DAO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2026 
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV BX
SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON'S CALLS ON THE SULTAN AND CROWN 
PRINCE OF BRUNEI 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Emil Skodon, Reasons 1.4 (b and d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Visiting USPACOM Commander, Admiral William Fallon, 
accompanied by Ambassador Skodon and POLAD Huso, had an audience 
March 1 with the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hossanal Bolkiah.  Also 
in attendance was the Commander of the Brunei Armed Forces, 
Major General Halbi.  The Sultan, dressed in the uniform of a 
five star Admiral, put on a good show for the television cameras 
and press photographers by gratefully accepting a native Hawaiian 
gift offered by the Admiral at the start of the meeting and 
listening closely to Admiral Fallon's explanation of its 
significance. 
 
¶2.  (C) After the cameras were ushered from the room, the Sultan 
began the discussion by asking the Admiral for his impressions of 
the peace process in Aceh.  The Admiral said he was encouraged by 
what he had observed in Aceh and by his discussion with President 
Yudhoyono.   The Aceh Monitoring Mission was effective in carrying 
out its role and the TNI was complying fully with direction from 
the President.  The critical next step will be legislation 
enabling the GAM to function in a political party role.  The Sultan 
agreed with the Admiral's analysis and said that Brunei would 
continue to provide monitors to the AMM and would support an 
extension of their mission. Regarding the terrorist threat, the 
Sultan also agreed with the Admiral's assessment that increased 
cooperation to interdict terrorist transit routes in the Sulawesi 
should be a key area of concern for the region. 
 
¶3.  (C)  The Sultan expressed his strong view that the U.S. presence 
in and commitment to the region was important to security and 
stability.  He characterized Brunei's relations with the U.S. as 
"very good."  He cited with evident pride the recent acceptance of 
a Bruneian cadet into West Point as an example of what he hoped 
would be more training and education opportunities. He also recalled 
how much he had enjoyed his visits to U.S. aircraft carriers and 
welcomed continued U.S. ship visits.   In response to the Admiral's 
query regarding his vision for Brunei's future engagement in the 
world, the Sultan suggested he would remain focused on relations with 
his neighbors and within ASEAN.  Asked to comment on Iraq, the Sultan 
begged off, saying Brunei is "too far" from the Middle East. 
 
¶4.  (C) The Sultan asked about USG relations with China, U.S. energy 
policy, and the political situation in Manila.  He listened closely to 
the points made by Admiral Fallon and appeared engaged, interested, and 
reasonably well informed regarding current events and U.S. policies. 
This contrasted with Crown Prince Billah, on whom Admiral Fallon paid a 
courtesy call just before his meeting with the Sultan.  Although the 
Admiral tried repeatedly to engage the Crown Prince in a substantive 
discussion by posing open-ended questions, His Royal Highness was 
unwilling (or unable) to respond with much other than simple platitudes 
along the lines of "Brunei desires friendly relations with all 
countries." 
 
¶5.  (C)  Comment:  Following as it did after mention of Brunei's 
involvement in the Aceh and Mindanao monitoring missions, the Sultan's 
comment that Iraq was "too far" from Brunei was probably a polite way of 
saying "so don,t ask me to contribute troops to Iraq."  As for Crown 
Prince Billah, although he has recently been making the rounds of 
government ministries for in-depth briefing sessions, including the 
Ministry of Defense, he clearly does not yet have the self-confidence 
(perhaps justifiably) to engage in substantive discussion of security 
issues with a senior western military officer.  End Comment. 
 
¶6.  (U)  Admiral Fallon has cleared this message. 
 
 
SKODON