VZCZCXRO6788
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0249/01 0370947
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060947Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0669
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0441
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000249 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV APEC ETRD PHUM CB CH BM KN VM
 
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