VZCZCXRO8958
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0079/01 0301007
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 301007Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0361
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3264
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2363
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0675
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0478

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PTER KDEM ECON EAID CB
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INITIAL MEETING WITH CAMBODIAN PRIME 
MINISTER HUN SEN 
 
Classified by: Ambassador Carol A. Rodley for reasons 1.4 
(b,d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  In the Ambassador's first call on Prime 
Minister Hun Sen since presenting credentials, the PM took 
the opportunity to renew his personal relationship with the 
Ambassador and review the evolution of U.S.-Cambodian 
relations over the past several years, highlighting several 
areas of successful cooperation.  Hun Sen congratulated 
President Obama on his inauguration, expressed hope that 
the new administration will be successful in its bid to 
stimulate the sluggish domestic economy, and noted the 
bilateral relationship had already taken on a "new face." 
He called the U.S. the locomotive for the world's economic 
train and noted how important a U.S. recovery would be for 
Cambodia's economic growth, which he pegged at 7 percent in 
¶2009.  The Prime Minister was particularly effusive about 
the role of Peace Corps volunteers in Cambodia in helping 
to communicate the image of Cambodia to the American 
people.  The Ambassador pledged her determination to work 
on shifting the perception of Cambodia in the U.S. from one 
stuck in the past to a more accurate view of Cambodia in 
its present state. Although he raised ASEAN, praising the 
U.S. appointment of an Ambassador to ASEAN, the PM did not 
bring up bilateral relations with Thailand or the Preah 
Vihear border dispute.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------- 
Renewing Acquaintances 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) The Ambassador's first formal call on Prime 
Minister Hun Sen in an hour-long meeting at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs January 29 was characterized by warm 
personal greetings and the renewal of their earlier 
acquaintance.  The PM was pleased to note that the 
Ambassador's previous assignment here means she is already 
well-versed in the many facets of Cambodia, including its 
language and culture, and said he hoped this background 
would help to improve relations between the two countries. 
He also noted the fortuitous timing of the Ambassador's 
presentation of credentials, which took place on the same 
day as the presidential inauguration.  The PM highlighted 
the evolution of U.S.-Cambodia relations, citing different 
spheres of cooperation in mil-mil, health sector, and 
trade/investment to exemplify the increased breadth and 
depth of the relationship.  He credited the U.S. for being 
a key player in facilitating Cambodian development over the 
past decade, and expressed obvious pride in Cambodia's 
progress since the Ambassador's previous assignment here 
from 1997 - 2000. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
A Walk Down Memory Lane - Khmer Rouge Then and Now 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3.  (C) When the Ambassador recounted visiting Hun Sen in 
his Takhmau headquarters a decade earlier when he showed 
detailed maps of his campaign against the Khmer Rouge, the 
PM immediately lit up and recounted prior discussions about 
capturing Khmer Rouge leaders.  Recalling that some of 
those leaders had since died, he noted that Nuon Chea and 
Khieu Samphan were now in custody and awaiting trial at the 
Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT).  He also gratefully recalled 
Senator John Kerry's vital role in negotiating the adoption 
of the super-majority mechanism by which judgments will be 
rendered at the KRT. 
 
------------- 
US-Cambodia 
------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The PM expressed confidence that growth and 
cooperation between the two countries would continue to 
increase.  He conveyed his gratitude for U.S. assistance to 
Cambodia while noting in particular the U.S. role in 
Cambodia's economic growth.  He referred to the dramatic 
evolution in perceptions of the United States, from the 
dark days of the Pol Pot era when even the suspicion of 
association with the United States might be enough to earn 
a death sentence, to the current state of affairs in which 
Peace Corps volunteers live with Cambodian host families in 
villages across the country, enjoying a free exchange of 
impressions and lessons between the two cultures. 
 
------------------------- 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000079  002 OF 003 
 
 
A Different Cambodia 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Following the Ambassador's observation that 
Cambodians appear more confident, engaged in the world, and 
optimistic about both their shared and individual futures 
than when she departed in the summer of 2000, the PM 
recalled the immense challenges then facing the country. 
At that time Cambodia was in the throes of the worst 
flooding in 100 years, with over half the population 
dramatically affected.  The PM spoke proudly of the strides 
the country has made since then, noting that "serious 
management" by the government has contributed to economic 
growth and improved infrastructure such as roads and 
construction projects, with steady progress toward 
democratization.  In a thinly veiled criticism of Thailand, 
he referred to difficulties faced by other countries in the 
region with peaceful transitions of power, and while he 
conceded that Cambodia is still an emerging democracy, he 
expressed pride at the conduct of the 2008 national 
election.  The challenges faced by Cambodia in 2009 are of 
such a different nature from those ten years ago that, as 
he joked, one of his biggest problems is how much longer it 
will take before the refurbishment of his house in Phnom 
Penh is completed. 
 
-------------------------- 
Economic situation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) The Prime Minister noted more than once that the 
United States is the "locomotive" of global economic 
growth, and American growth has a ripple effect on other 
national economies.  He pointed to the U.S. role in helping 
to stimulate the Cambodian economy in recent years, by 
making U.S. markets available to Cambodian products, 
especially those in the garment industry.  Despite 
Cambodia's economic slowdown, the PM predicted 7 percent 
growth in 2009 and said USD 2 billion in Cambodian products 
will still end up on the U.S. market.  The PM expressed 
hope that investment by U.S. companies such as Chevron 
would not be affected by the global economic slowdown. 
Acknowledging the international implications of U.S. 
economic slowdown/growth, the Ambassador reiterated that 
the President's foremost priority is to revitalize the 
flagging economy. 
 
-------------------------- 
Mil-Mil relations 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Both the PM and the Ambassador agreed that mil-mil 
cooperation, particularly in the areas of demining and 
peacekeeping operations, is a source of strong bilateral 
cooperation which will undoubtedly continue.  He pointed to 
U.S.-supported Cambodian participation in Global 
Peacekeeping Operations Initiative (GPOI) exercises in 
Mongolia and Bangladesh as two examples of welcome U.S. 
military assistance.  (NOTE:  Cambodia will host the GPOI 
peacekeepers' Capstone Exercise in 2010.  END NOTE.)  In 
keeping with the theme of changed perceptions, the PM noted 
that in the past, the presence of a U.S. Navy ship in 
international waters near Cambodia was greeted with 
nervousness and uncertainty.  Now, Navy ships are welcomed 
with open arms when they berth at the port in 
Sihanoukville, both for the generosity of the medical and 
other humanitarian projects they engage in during their 
visit as well as the opportunity for cultural and economic 
interchange between military personnel and the Cambodians 
living in the area.  Aircraft based on the ships are 
permitted flight clearance throughout the country to engage 
in humanitarian missions in remote areas, even making one 
stop in 2007 to the Prime Minister's hometown. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Foreign Policy Under the Obama Administration 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The Ambassador drew attention to the President's 
goal of enhancing our partnerships in Asia, in the context 
of reviving the primacy of American diplomacy.  The PM 
remarked that "when the U.S. lifts one leg, all its weight 
shifts to the other" as a way of saying that U.S. behavior 
has an impact on the rest of the world, and even small 
countries such as Cambodia monitor and are affected by U.S. 
policies.  He noted regional concerns such as nuclear 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000079  003 OF 003 
 
 
proliferation in North Korea, and said that Cambodia will 
be paying close attention to U.S. policy there and in other 
areas further afield including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and 
recent developments in Gaza. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Cambodia's Role in International Community 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) The PM was at pains to point out that while 
Cambodia is a small country, it has a role to play in the 
international arena.  He noted its membership in the non- 
aligned movement and its active role in ASEAN.  Even though 
Cambodia itself has not been a victim of terrorism, the PM 
acknowledged the importance of counterterrorism cooperation 
as a responsibility shared by all members of the global 
community.  He underscored the appointment of U.S. 
Ambassador to ASEAN Scot Marciel as a positive sign of 
America's increased engagement with both ASEAN and the 
region in general.  He also noted with satisfaction that 
Cambodia, once considered a "victim" of landmines requiring 
assistance from others, is now contributing its expertise 
by sending teams of deminers to Sudan as part of 
international peacekeeping efforts. 
 
¶10.  (C) Comment: Hun Sen appeared well-briefed and was 
relaxed and loquacious.  While the meeting did not focus in 
detail on any particular subject, the warmth of the Prime 
Minister's greeting and tenor of his comments clearly 
indicated his pleasure at the Ambassador's appointment and 
the high premium he places on the bilateral relationship. 
He spoke at great length about the value of the Peace Corps 
and the value of more people-to-people contacts.  The PM 
expressed his enthusiasm for discussing an array of issues 
with the Ambassador in more substance and detail in future 
(gushingly stating that he spends more of his time with the 
American Ambassador than with any other members of the 
diplomatic community).  While there will certainly be 
subjects on which the U.S. and Cambodia do not see eye-to- 
eye, the nature of the relationship has evolved into a more 
multi-faceted, mature one in which frank discussion is 
valued.  The PM was pleased to hear the Ambassador declare 
her commitment to shift the perception of Cambodia's 
condition from one rooted in its difficult past to one 
which focuses on its future, and pledged that it will be 
"our task" to work on that transformation in attitudes 
together. 
 
Rodley