VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUM #0126 0810908
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD7251E7 WSC2110-695)
R 210908Z MAR 08 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1995

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000126 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY TEXT 
 
STATE FOR M, HR, EAP/FO, EAP/CM EAP/EX, and FSI for Whiteside 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT PREL ECON MG
SUBJECT: DG THOMAS VISITS MONGOLIA MARCH 18-19 
 
REF: Ulaanbaatar 0117 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: As part of a multi-stop tour of the EAP region, 
Director General Ambassador Harry Thomas and James Forbes, Office 
Director, HR/ER, visited Ulaanbaatar March 18-19. While in 
Ulaanbaatar, Ambassador Thomas met with the Ambassador and DCM, the 
Management section, Entry-Level Officers, and other section heads. 
The DG led town hall meetings with Locally Engaged Staff and with 
Direct Hire Americans and Eligible Family Members. Ambassador Thomas 
also met with MFA State Secretary Bekhbat (Ambassador-designate to 
the US) (reftel) as well as key advisors to the President and the 
Prime Minister. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  During his meetings with the Ambassador  and other Embassy 
staff members, DG Thomas stressed he had come to post to listen 
carefully to staff concerns and to carry these concerns back to U/S 
Kennedy and Secretary Rice. The Ambassador expressed his 
appreciation for the visit and emphasized that continuing strong 
relations between the US and Mongolia make this post increasingly 
busy for its relatively modest size. Growth in activity has led to 
increased staffing needs, while new personnel authorized have not 
kept pace. Post has requested again in the MSP a Financial 
Management Officer, a second OMS, an additional Consular Officer, 
and a second Economics Officer. The Ambassador also stressed that 
this growth has placed a tremendous strain on the Embassy's aging 
facilities. These concerns were echoed during the meetings with the 
Management Section. 
 
¶3. (SBU)   The Town Hall meeting with the LES focused on concerns 
about salary and benefits. Attendees noted that no salary increases 
have occurred in recent years, and that benefits available through 
GOM- provided health care and retirement systems are inadequate. 
Post management pledged to work with the DG's office to explore 
solutions to these important issues. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)   At the Town Hall Meeting with Americans, DG Thomas and 
Director Forbes discussed recent HR initiatives including plans to 
streamline the assignments process. Questions and comments focused 
on concern over LES salary and benefits, concerns about worldwide 
staffing gaps, and leave and other benefits, including post's recent 
reduction in its differential rate. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)   In addition to meeting with Embassy staff, the DG also 
met with Mongolia's Foreign Ministry State Secretary (and 
Ambassador-designate to the U.S.) Kh. Bekhbat, who expressed 
interest in building a cooperative relationship between the two 
countries' diplomatic training facilities.  Bekhbat said the 
Mongolian Government is establishing a diplomatic "Research and 
Training Center" (RTC) in Ulaanbaatar, primarily for Foreign 
Ministry diplomats but also for officials of other ministries who 
deal with foreign affairs issues.  The RTC will be located at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Headquarters and is expected to 
begin preliminary operations by August.  Bekhbat said support for 
the RTC is "entirely dependent" on the MFA, which currently has 
around 100 officials serving in Mongolia and another 150 to 160 
abroad at diplomatic missions. Bekhbat said Mongolia recruits 
diplomatic candidates through highly competitive exams that are 
given roughly once every two years.  (In 2006, 60 people applied and 
10 or 12 were offered jobs.)  Bekhbat noted that the MFA sends many 
of its newer diplomats overseas for training in Australia, New 
Zealand, Germany, Japan or Austria -- countries that offer 
fellowships for this purpose.  DG Thomas congratulated Bekhbat on 
his assignment to Washington and said he would contact FSI Director 
Whiteside to invite Bekhbat to visit FSI.  The DG noted that the USG 
has realized significant cost savings by offering distance-learning 
courses and having trainers make regional visits. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Ambassador also hosted a lunch for DG Thomas that 
included Foreign Policy Advisors to the President, Tsogtbaatar, and 
to the Prime Minister, Jambaldorj, as well as MFA America's Bureau 
Acting Director Monkhou. During lunch, the participants discussed 
the challenges that Mongolia faces as it defines the laws that will 
govern involvement by foreign companies in developing its vast 
mineral resources. They also discussed Mongolian foreign policy and 
Mongolia's success at maintaining good relationships with its 
powerful neighbors, Russia and China, while also developing very 
strong "third neighbor" friendships with Japan, South Korea, Europe, 
and the United States. DG Thomas expressed his appreciation for 
Mongolia's continued support of the War on Terror and for sending 
the ninth rotation of troops to Iraq. 
 
¶7. (U) DG Thomas departed post and did not have an opportunity to 
clear this cable. 
 
MINTON