VZCZCXRO6113
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0191/01 0331004
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021004Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7962
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3129

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS; EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID PTER SMIG CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIAN VIEWS OF THE ASEAN AND EAS SUMMITS IN 
CEBU 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  Cambodia came away from the Cebu 
meetings pleased with the ASEAN declaration on migrant 
workers, the Convention on Counterterrorism, and the 
shortened timeframe from 2020 to 2015 for the establishment 
of an ASEAN economic community.  Cambodia remains keen to see 
comprehensive regional integration that can help narrow the 
development gap between Cambodia and other ASEAN countries. 
Regarding the ASEAN Charter, Cambodia has mixed feelings 
regarding the issue of voting versus consensus and will 
likely favor a compromise that seeks the middle ground 
between the two ends of the decisionmaking spectrum. 
Cambodia was also pleased that the Japanese government is 
committed to playing a stronger role with the newer members 
of ASEAN.  The EAS discussion on energy issues was also 
important for Cambodia, and appears to have prompted renewed 
talks with the Vietnamese on overlapping maritime claims 
between the two countries.  End Summary. 
 
Cambodia Pleased with Summit Results 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  MFA Secretary of State for ASEAN Affairs, Dr. Kao 
Kim Hourn, met with Pol/Econ Chief on January 31 and 
discussed RGC reaction to the Cebu meetings of the 12th ASEAN 
Summit and the second EAS Summit.  Kao Kim Hourn said that 
some ASEAN members were unhappy with their Filipino hosts and 
felt that the domestic political problems of President Arroyo 
had tainted the GOP's ASEAN chairmanship.  He also noted that 
the meetings were somewhat compressed and that not all 
leaders were able to stay for the meetings due to travel 
schedules.  When asked what had impressed the RGC concerning 
the meetings, Kao Kim Hourn immediately pointed to the ASEAN 
Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of 
Migrant Workers as an outcome of significant importance to 
the Cambodian government.  As Cambodia will remain a sending 
country with bilateral migration issues with its ASEAN 
neighbors, the Declaration was an important starting point 
for recognizing the collective need to protect migrant 
workers, he said. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Cambodia was also pleased with the collective 
ASEAN resolve on the issue of combating terrorism, as 
Cambodia will continue to be a responsive regional and 
international partner on CT issues, affirmed Kao Kim Hourn. 
Increased information sharing and regional cooperation is 
needed, and the MFA official expressed satisfaction that 
ASEAN member states share a common view on CT issues.  Kao 
Kim Hourn was also pleased with the desire to narrow the 
development gap between the more advanced ASEAN economies and 
those in the developing stage, such as Cambodia.  The more 
economic integration that occurs within ASEAN, the better for 
Cambodia's overall development, said Kao Kim Hourn, who 
equates integration with investment -- something Cambodia 
needs.  Kao Kim Hourn acknowledged that more work needs to be 
done to develop the kind of regional economic community 
envisaged by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), but the MFA 
official remains optimistic that such a vision is in the best 
interests of ASEAN in general, and Cambodia, in particular. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Concerning the ASEAN charter, Kao Kim Hourn said 
that he agreed with the report issued by the EPG and was 
pleased that ASEAN included the full report on its website, 
as it should be available to all citizens of ASEAN.  In terms 
of its recommendations, however, Kao Kim Hourn allowed that 
the voting issue was contentious among ASEAN members.  He 
said that Cambodia's position was expressed by the Prime 
Minister, who said that Cambodia would continue to prefer the 
traditional ASEAN approach of reaching consensus on issues of 
political sensitivity.  At the same time, however, the PM 
reportedly said that there may be occasions whereby a 
different ASEAN configuration for participation would 
acceptable, i.e., ASEAN 8 or ASEAN 9, and that should not 
always be dictated by consensus.  (Note:  The Cambodia PM 
remains unhappy that ASEAN is held hostage to the issue of 
Burma, and would prefer to see more flexibility in ASEAN 
participation in international fora that would not demand the 
inclusion of Burma.  End Note.)  Concerning the issue of 
suspending or disciplining members, Hun Sen also reportedly 
indicated that Cambodia would support a member's right to 
withdraw from the organization.  Concerning the issue of 
voting versus consensus, Kao Kim Hourn said that two ASEAN 
members strongly supported voting (Philippines and 
Indonesia), one supported consensus (Burma), and the rest 
fell somewhere in the middle.  The MFA official speculated 
that the eventual report to be considered in Singapore in 
November 2007 would likely promote a compromise position on 
this issue. 
 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000191  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Another issue of interest to Kao Kim Hourn was the 
discussion over the role of the ASEAN Secretariat and how the 
office might be strengthened.  He said that two additional 
Deputy Secretary General positions are to be established, and 
that the Secretariat will be working more with academic 
organizations and regional think tanks to consider how best 
ASEAN economic integration should proceed. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Kao Kim Hourn said that the RGC was very pleased 
to see the Government of Japan indicate its intention to workmore closely with 
the newer members of ASEAN.  The MFA 
official said that during the Cebu meetings, Laos, Cambodia, 
and Vietnam agreed to support GOJ resolutions against North 
Korea at the United Nations, although he said that Laotian 
support might be shaky.  He noted that Japanese influence and 
assistance would help all three countries bridge the 
development gap between their economies and those in the rest 
of ASEAN. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  On the EAS, Kao Kim Hourn had little to say beyond 
what is expressed in the EAS public statements.  He did note 
that the central theme regarding energy has prompted Vietnam 
and Cambodia to more seriously begin discussions regarding 
the offshore overlapping maritime claims between the two 
countries.  There are likely offshore oil and gas reserves in 
the overlapping claims area with Vietnam, just as there are 
with Thailand, and both the Vietnamese and Cambodian 
governments are to begin further discussions regarding the 
maritime boundary between the two countries, said Kao Kim 
Hourn. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Kao Kim Hourn will be the RGC's representative to 
the EPG's high-level drafting committee, which will continue 
to refine the draft ASEAN charter for presentation to the 
ASEAN Summit in November 2007 in Singapore.  There was little 
that was surprising in his remarks, as the issues of greatest 
concern track with Cambodia's interest in seeing the less 
developed members of ASEAN receive the maximum benefits from 
a more integrated regional economic bloc.  Kao Kim Hourn 
acknowledged that there was little discussion regarding Burma 
at the meetings, but confirmed to us (again) that the Prime 
Minister had been invited to Burma and would be visiting 
Rangoon this year.  End Comment. 
MUSSOMELI