VZCZCXRO7653
OO RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0191 0620920
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030920Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9239
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH PRIORITY 5639
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0266

UNCLAS HANOI 000191 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR IO/UNP (FITZGERALD), EAP/MLS (BLACKSHAW) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC PHUM SU XA XW VM
 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM OBJECTS TO BASHIR INDICTMENT, STILL CONSIDERING 
RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 19213 
 
(SBU) In a March 2 meeting with the MFA's Director General for 
International Organizations, Le Hoai Trung, CDA discussed the 
International Criminal Court's imminent indictment of Sudan 
President Omar al-Bashir and urged Vietnam not to support an Article 
16 deferral of prosecution.  She urged Vietnam to be muted in its 
response to the indictment, noting that the United States does not 
believe that a UNSC statement is necessary unless there is 
significant violence or Khartoum reacts in an extreme fashion.  DG 
Trung reiterated his government's strong opposition to the ICC 
indictment, but said that his government would take the U.S. 
position into consideration.  He said that its general disapproval 
notwithstanding, Hanoi had not yet drafted instructions to its UN 
Mission on how specifically to respond to an indictment. 
 
PALMER