VZCZCXRO0832
OO RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0889/01 3071003
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 031003Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0384
INFO RHMCSUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0029
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0159
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000889 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/03 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KNNP KIRF UNSC ECON CVIS ASEAN BM IR
VM 
SUBJECT: Ambassador, VFM Minh Discuss Human Rights, Nuclear MOU, 
Burma, and Iran 
 
REF: HANOI 1084, HANOI 827, HANOI 873, HANOI 861 AND 859 
 
HANOI 00000889  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Virginia Palmer, Charge D'Affaires; REASON: 1.4(B), 
(D) 
 
¶1.  (U) This cable contains an action request.  Please see 
paragraph eight. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (C) SUMMARY: On October 30, the Ambassador met with Vice 
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to reiterate U.S. concerns about 
the conviction of political dissidents and the forced expulsion of 
Lang Mai followers from the Bat Nha Pagoda, highlighting the 
November Human Rights Dialogue as an opportunity to make concrete 
progress.  The Ambassador also stressed the need to work together 
on tough international issues such as Iran and Burma, and pressed 
Vietnam to finalize preparations for the signing of a civilian 
nuclear MOU.  VFM Minh said that Vietnam recognized that Bat Nha 
had become a sensitive, high-profile issue and had appointed a 
Deputy Prime Minister to coordinate the government's response. 
Minh expressed relief that any likely action on Iran at the UN 
Security Council would come after Vietnam completed its October 
Presidency, but acknowledged that reports that Tehran had moved 
away from the agreements it made in Vienna appeared troublesome. 
Minh declined to offer specifics on the recent visit to Vietnam of 
Burma's third-ranking military official, though he insisted that 
Rangoon was displaying signs of increased flexibility.  Relaxed 
throughout, Minh only brought up one issue: a visa case involving 
his former boss, retired MFA official Pham Ngac (see action request 
in paragraph seven).  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
Human Rights and Religious Freedom 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Over lunch at his residence October 30, the Ambassador 
urged Vice Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to take advantage of the 
upcoming Human Rights Dialogue to make concrete progress.  The 
Ambassador noted in particular our desire to move forward with 
governance projects, including cooperative efforts at the National 
Assembly and in the rule of law.  Turning to specific cases, the 
Ambassador emphasized that the recent convictions of political 
dissidents (ref A), a controversial Prime Ministerial decree 
("Decision 97") limiting the ability of independent research 
institutions to criticize the government/Party (ref B), and 
violence associated with the forced removal of monks and nuns 
associated with the Lang Mai ("Plum Village") Order from the Bat 
Nha Pagoda (ref. C) had made it much more difficult to argue that 
Vietnam was making progress.  The Ambassador passed Minh a copy of 
an op-ed written a prominent U.S. adherent of Thich Nhat Hanh that 
appeared in the October 29 Asian Wall Street Journal, highlighting 
in particular a) the need to ensure that there was no more 
violence, and b) the recommendation that the GVN put out a public 
statement underscoring that the Plum Village followers enjoy 
freedom of worship. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (C) VFM Minh repeated the GVN's standard line that the Bat Nha 
dispute was an "intra-Buddhist" conflict; however, he assured the 
Ambassador that the GVN recognized the seriousness of the issue, 
and had designated DPM (and Politburo Member) Truong Vinh Trong to 
take the lead in coordinating the government's approach to the Lang 
Mai/Bat Nha issue.  Minh suggested that the Department reach out to 
DPM Trong on the issue when he travels to the United States 
November 5-13.  (Note: DPM Trong will be in Washington November 9 
for meetings connected with his HHS-funded visit to investigate 
methadone treatment practices.  End note.)  Minh agreed that the 
Human Rights Dialogue offered useful opportunities to exchange 
views, and noted that he had instructed the MFA to provide, through 
its embassy in Washington, a complete accounting of the 69 cases 
raised in a recent joint letter from Congress.  On Decision 97, 
Minh said the matter was "complicated" and "misunderstood" and that 
the Minister of Science and Technology would be briefing interested 
ambassadors November 6. 
 
 
 
Civilian-Nuclear MOU 
 
HANOI 00000889  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Ambassador pressed VFM Minh to work with the Ministry 
of Science and Technology to push for a prompt clearance of the 
Media Note on Civil Nuclear Power an Nuclear Security, in order to 
be able to sign the already agreed-upon MOU on the margins of the 
APEC meeting in Singapore.  (He also passed Minh a letter to DPM/FM 
Pham Gia Khiem making the same points.)  Minh agreed that the 
nuclear MOU was an extremely worthwhile initiative and promised to 
pursue the matter.  At the same time, he cautioned that it might 
take some time for Vietnam's interagency process to clear the 
language in the Media Note; if the signing couldn't take place at 
APEC, it certainly could at the ASEAN ministerial in July.  The 
Ambassador pushed back, noting that July was too long to wait for 
something that had already been agreed upon and was this important. 
The GVN should not have any problems with the Media Statement which 
contained nothing remotely controversial. 
 
 
 
Iran and Burma 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) The Ambassador expressed concern over reports in the New 
York Times and elsewhere indicating that Iran was pulling back from 
the commitment it made in Vienna to send uranium to Russia for 
reprocessing.  If true, there will be a need for strong, unified 
action at the UN Security Council.  He also urged Vietnam to work 
closely with the United States and others to ensure that Burma's 
2010 elections were free and fair, something that would be 
extremely difficult if Aung San Suu Kyi were unable to participate 
meaningfully.  Minh voiced surprise and disappointment at Tehran's 
decision to repudiate the agreement its negotiators had made in 
Vienna, saying that things had looked hopeful.  On Burma, Minh 
claimed not to have much information about the recent visit of that 
country's third-ranking general, Thura Shwe Mann, but sought to 
characterize the trip as a sign that Burma was more willing to 
listen to Vietnam's suggestions on how to open up to the world 
(ref. D).  (Note: We understand that Vietnam's Ministry of Defense 
took the lead in organizing the visit, which was long-scheduled. 
VFM Minh did not elaborate further what suggestions Vietnam may 
have offered Burma.  End note.)  He said that he understood the 
need for elections to be seen as credible, and, laughing, said that 
it could be a real headache for Vietnam if Burma's elections 
coincided with the ASEAN summit. 
 
 
 
Staffing 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (C) Reminded that DPM/FM Pham Gia Khiem had assured the 
Secretary during their meeting in Washington, DC in early October 
that Mission staffing "would not be a problem," Minh promised to 
continue to press the Vietnamese interagency to have Embassy Hanoi 
and ConGen HCMC's outstanding position requests approved.  He noted 
that the Embassy received approval for one position (in which the 
Ministry of Public Security had a special interest) on October 30, 
adding that he was optimistic more would come through.  At the same 
time, Minh fell back on the well-worn arguments about the need for 
inter-ministerial clearance. 
 
 
 
Visa for former high-ranking MFA official 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8.  (C) For the most part, Minh appeared content to respond to the 
Ambassador's agenda.  The one issue that Minh stressed, strongly, 
 
HANOI 00000889  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
was the outstanding visa request for Minh's previous boss, former 
MFA International Organizations Director General Ngac Pham.  Minh 
said that many in the Central Committee were upset that Pham, a 
distinguished former diplomat who had traveled to the United States 
several times in the past, was not able to obtain a visa, and that 
he did not understand what was the obstacle.  ACTION REQUEST: Pham 
has a "00" Category 1 name-check hit.  Our understanding is that 
CA/VO/L/C has received the information it required from the 
clearing agency, but the case is still pending in the system.  We 
request that CA move to resolve the issue, which has been raised 
several times and is becoming an unnecessary irritant in the 
overall relationship. 
Palmer