VZCZCXRO2650
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1919/01 3130939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090939Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6679
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 3917
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001919 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, IO/UNP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR VM UNGA UN
 
SUBJECT: A/S SILVERBERG CONSULTATIONS WITH GVN ON UNSC 
 
 
HANOI 00001919  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Assistant Secretary for International Organization 
Affairs Kristen Silverberg met with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi 
November 2 to discuss Vietnam's upcoming role as a non-permanent 
member of the UN Security Council.  Silverberg reiterated our 
invitation for Vietnam to send officials to Washington to consult on 
its UNSC seat and laid out the key issues she expected the Council 
to face during Vietnam's tenure, including USG priorities Iran, 
Darfur, and Burma.  She emphasized the importance of approaching 
UNSC work pragmatically, not ideologically.  GVN officials explained 
their preparations for Vietnam's seat on the Council and their 
interest in a possible theme of post-conflict reconstruction for 
their UNSC Presidency.  Vietnam has not reached a decision on 
participating in peacekeeping, which remains a sensitive issue given 
the country's history and the military's relative lack of 
experience.  Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem 
said he saw Vietnam's UNSC seat as an opportunity to demonstrate our 
cooperation, particularly to critics of Vietnam in the U.S. 
Congress.  End summary. 
 
COVERING KEY ISSUES 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) International Organization Affairs A/S Kristen Silverberg 
held meetings with Vietnamese counterparts in Hanoi on November 2. 
Meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, 
Silverberg said it was a dynamic time for U.S.-GVN relations, with 
Commerce Secretary Guttierez arriving in Hanoi the next week and a 
possible visit to the United States by Prime Minister Dzung in the 
next year.  Vietnam's UNSC term is a good opportunity to cement good 
U.S.-Vietnam relations, Silverberg said.  She explained that 
although we will not always agree on the council, we want our 
relations to be transparent and to avoid surprises.  A/S Silverberg 
emphasized that the USG hopes to work pragmatically with Vietnam in 
a way that avoids ideological divisions. 
 
¶3. (SBU) A/S Silverberg reiterated the State Department's invitation 
for Vietnam to send a delegation to Washington for consultations on 
the role of the UNSC before it assumes its seat in January.  The 
delegation could include officials from the GVN's missions in 
Washington and New York as well as those from Hanoi who might 
benefit from it.  Minh responded that Vietnam wants to have 
consultations with the United States as well as other P-5 members 
and others, but there is very little time before Vietnam begins its 
term.  He nonetheless confirmed that Vietnam will consider the 
invitation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) DFM[f1] Minh handed A/S Silverberg a letter from Deputy 
Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Khiem to Secretary Rice expressing 
appreciation for USG congratulations on Vietnam's UNSC election.  He 
said Vietnam's priorities would be counterterrorism, weapons of mass 
destruction and regional issues in the Middle East, Africa, and 
Asia.  Minh said Vietnam is eager for U.S. input on key UNSC issues. 
 In response, A/S Silverberg said IO could send the MFA papers on 
these issues in advance of its Washington consultations. 
 
¶5. (SBU) A/S Silverberg said Iran would continue to be an issue in 
the UNSC.  A/S Silverberg described the P5+1 agreement from 
September, which commits to action in the UNSC unless IAEA Director 
General ElBaradei and EU High Representative Solana report 
positively in November.  Minh said that, while Vietnam opposes 
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and complies with all 
UNSC resolutions, it also supports peaceful usage of nuclear power. 
As a past victim of sanctions, Vietnam has reservations about their 
use as they can harm the people of the country.  Silverberg 
responded that the U.S. also supports the peaceful use of nuclear 
energy, and that incentives had been offered by the P5 to Iran to 
allow peaceful uses of nuclear energy.  The USG would welcome 
Vietnam's input on improving them further. 
 
¶6. (SBU) On Burma, A/S Silverberg emphasized the need for concrete 
improvements rather than process only.  She said the U.S. would 
evaluate the success of UN Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari's 
November trip based on the regime's progress in two areas: 1) 
opening a direct dialogue with democracy activists and ethnic 
minority groups, and 2) releasing political prisoners.  These 
benchmarks will determine the USG view on whether further UNSC 
action is needed.  Minh said that ASEAN continues to work with 
Burma's regime on implementing its road-map, but that because 
Burma's situation does not threaten the region, the UNSC should not 
take Chapter VII action. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Discussing Darfur, A/S Silverberg stressed that the slow 
pace of the peace process makes it critical to deploy rapidly the 
hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force to create political space.  A/S 
Silverberg said that the USG would appreciate the GVN's help, as a 
UNSC member, in pressing the UN to deploy the peacekeeping force as 
quickly as possible.  A/S Silverberg also noted that there is a 
 
HANOI 00001919  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
worldwide shortage of peacekeepers and encouraged Vietnam to 
participate in the Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative (GPOI). 
 Minh said Vietnam was seriously considering the idea, but cautioned 
that because of their history of foreign occupation, Vietnamese 
oppose sending peacekeepers abroad. 
 
¶8. (SBU) A/S Silverberg also raised the issues of Kosovo's 
independence, the Middle East peace process, and Lebanon.  On 
Kosovo, she noted that the U.S. is engaged in the discussion between 
Serbia and Kosovo, though both sides are reiterating their previous 
positions.  If there is no agreement, Kosovo will likely issue a 
unilateral declaration of independence, though A/S Silverberg said a 
UNSC resolution on Kosovar independence resulting in UNSC-supervised 
independence would be a preferable solution.  On the Middle East 
Peace Progress, A/S Silverberg stressed the importance of keeping 
rhetoric and provocative language out of the UNSC.  On Lebanon, A/S 
Silverberg credited the UNSC with being a great champion of Lebanese 
sovereignty.  DFM Minh concluded by saying that the GVN would like 
to use its UNSC membership to advance its relationship with the 
U.S. 
 
VIETNAM'S PREPARATIONS FOR UNSC 
------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) At a lunch meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
International Organizations (IO) Department Director Le Hoai Trung 
and IO officials, A/S Silverberg noted the tight deadlines that UNSC 
delegations often face.  Trung agreed that mechanisms must be in 
place to deal with these and that Vietnam had conducted a one-year 
research project led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh 
looking at UN issues.  Vietnam will divide decision making for its 
UNSC delegation into two main levels[f2]: on the more 
straightforward issues the Vietnamese PermRep will be empowered to 
make statements and voting decisions in the Council as he sees fit, 
while on complicated or unexpected issues he will need to consult 
with the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister or the Prime 
Minister. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Trung said Vietnam has prepared files on the various 
issues the Council is likely to face during Vietnam's term.  He 
noted that some of his colleagues suggested that the DPRK issue be 
dropped from the list of active ones, given progress there, but 
Trung added that, while he is optimistic, he insisted the DPRK file 
be kept up "just in case." 
 
¶11. (SBU) Vietnam, a pilot country for the One UN program, strongly 
supports it, Trung said.  A/S Silverberg noted the UN frequently 
disregards the role of the private sector, and Trung agreed that 
public-private partnerships are vital. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Trung said Vietnam was considering making post-conflict 
reconstruction the theme of its UNSC presidency.  A/S Silverberg 
said the United States does not necessarily oppose themes but 
remains skeptical of their utility given that many of the themes 
distract from the UNSC's main work.  Post-conflict reconstruction is 
an essential issue, Silverberg said, but the UNSC must be cautious 
about addressing development issues which are normally handled by 
the General Assembly. 
 
¶13. (SBU) In response to a request from Trung, A/S Silverberg 
promised to offer the GVN advice on which committees to join during 
its UNSC term. 
 
¶14. (SBU) In her separate meeting with Bui The Giang, Director 
General of the Communist Party of Vietnam's External Relations 
Commission, A/S Silverberg recapped USG priorities on the Security 
Council, including Iran, Burma, and peacekeeping.  Giang said there 
was a possibility that he would be picked by MFA to join Vietnam's 
delegation in New York during its term on the Council, but that this 
was still not confirmed.  Silverberg said the U.S. wants a 
"practical Council" that can address key issues.  Giang said Vietnam 
is already thinking beyond traditional issues to be better prepared 
to respond.  Giang said Vietnam is considering involvement in 
peacekeeping, but that this was a sensitive subject given Vietnam's 
long history of wars.  On Burma, he said that sanctions or embargoes 
would be counter-productive and that engagement is a better 
approach. 
 
FOREIGN MINISTER: UNSC PART OF BROADER COOPERATION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶15. (SBU) Meeting Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Pham Gia 
Khiem, A/S Silverberg gave him a formal invitation to consultations 
in Washington with Department officials on UNSC issues.  Silverberg 
noted that it is clear that Vietnam had done much preparation for 
its UNSC seat.  Khiem said Vietnam was still learning about its role 
as a UNSC member but would work hard to enable the Council to speak 
 
HANOI 00001919  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
with one voice.  As an Asian country, Vietnam's priorities will be 
Asian issues like Burma and the DPRK, Khiem said. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Turning to the broader bilateral relationship, Khiem said 
Vietnam welcomed the visit of U.S. Commerce Secretary Guttierez 
November 4-7 and wants to cooperate in all fields.  He acknowledged 
differences with the U.S. on issues such as human rights and said 
Vietnam is working to improve in that area.  A/S Silverberg 
recognized Vietnam's progress on issues like religious freedom but 
said there is more to be done on freedom of assembly and internet 
freedom.  Khiem said Vietnam wants to maintain a frank and open 
dialogue, and he expressed concern that some members of Congress 
oppose good relations with Vietnam. Khiem said he hoped that they 
would see our cooperation on the Security Council. 
 
¶17. (U) This message was cleared with A/S Silverberg. 
 
MICHALAK 
[f1]Is his title Vice-Foreign Minister or Assistant FM (per para 
2)? 
[f2]You only mention two.