VZCZCXRO2772
PP RUEHAP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHFK RUEHGH RUEHHM RUEHJS RUEHKN
RUEHKR RUEHKSO RUEHMJ RUEHNAG RUEHNH RUEHPB RUEHPT
DE RUEHC #2429/01 3341434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301430Z NOV 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 122429 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV PREL XB XC XE XU XV ZO
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT HAS HISTORIC MEET WITH ASEAN LEADERS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On November 15 in Singapore, President 
Obama participated in the first U.S. - Association of South 
East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders, Meeting with all 10 
ASEAN countries.  The meeting was an opportunity to highlight 
increased U.S. engagement with ASEAN and the region 
generally.  Key outcomes of the meeting will be more 
cabinet-level interactions between U.S. and ASEAN 
counterparts, creation of an eminent persons group and 
cooperation on climate change, disaster assistance and human 
rights.  The President also used the meeting to press on 
human rights in Burma.  Participating nations expressed 
strong appreciation for the United States, greater attention 
to the region and called for more cooperation in a range of 
areas.  Notably, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet said 
in his remarks that the United States had critical security 
role to play in the region; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib 
Razak asked for U.S. Peace Corps assistance to ASEAN,s 
efforts to create a comparable ASEAN Volunteers program; and 
Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein spoke on the importance of 
cooperation in climate change.  The clear message from the 
Leaders, Meeting was the increased U.S. focus on ASEAN and 
the Asian region - a message well received by the 
participating leaders.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------ 
An Historic Meeting 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) On November 15, in Singapore, for the first time a 
U.S. President met with all 10 ASEAN leaders.  The Leaders, 
Meeting served to highlight increased U.S. engagement with 
ASEAN countries and Asia generally, and to recognize ASEAN,s 
growing potential as a partner on global issues.  This 
meeting capped two earlier visits by Secretary Clinton to the 
region, including a visit to the ASEAN Secretariat in 
February and the signing of the Treaty of Amity and 
Cooperation (TAC) between the United States and ASEAN in 
July.  ASEAN,s participation in this year,s G-20 was a 
significant milestone in ASEAN,s emergence onto the global 
stage, though the President stopped short of inviting ASEAN 
participation in future meetings. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Leaders, Meeting Joint Statement outlined the 
U.S. commitment to expand interactions, including another 
 
STATE 00122429  002 OF 003 
 
 
Leaders, Meeting in 2010 and additional cabinet-level 
meetings, such as with Energy Secretary Chu and U.S. Trade 
Representative (USTR) Ambassador Kirk and their counterparts. 
 (Note:  The full text of the Joint Statement is available at 
http://asean-us-partnership.org/ 
uploads/asean-us-leaders-meeting-joint-statem ent.pdf.  End 
Note.)  The United States will also consult on the ASEAN 
Defense Minister (ADMM) Plus mechanism to determine whether 
that may serve as a future Secretary-level interaction.  In 
addition, the United States and ASEAN will establish an 
eminent persons group to include notables from the business 
community, former government service and academia.  This 
group will raise the profile of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation, 
identify areas for addition initiatives and report back to 
the leaders on their recommendations. 
 
¶4.  (U) Key areas for future cooperation included disaster 
management, human rights and climate change.  The recent 
spate of natural disasters in the region prompted a focus on 
disaster preparedness in the Joint Statement.  Programs 
identified were support for an ASEAN multi-hazard early 
warning system, public-private partnership for pandemic 
preparedness and for the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster 
Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).  To assist 
ASEAN,s efforts on human rights, the United States will 
continue its support to the ASEAN Intergovernmental 
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and to the creation of a 
non-governmental Human Rights Resource Center for ASEAN 
(AHRRC), which will be hosted at the University of Indonesia 
and linked to a network of universities throughout ASEAN. 
U.S. assistance will also be directed to climate change, with 
funding for a climate change advisor at the ASEAN Secretariat 
and for ASEAN,s efforts to create and implement a climate 
change work plan. 
 
------------------------------ 
The Push On Burma 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Using the Leaders, Meeting as an opportunity to 
speak directly to the ASEAN leaders and PM Thein Sein, 
President Obama called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi 
and other political prisoners, and for the Burmese government 
to seek reconciliation with opposition and ethnic groups. 
U.S. negotiators had attempted to include in the Joint 
Statement language calling for the release of Aung San Suu 
Kyi and other political prisoners but a consensus position 
could not be achieved.   Importantly, the Joint Statement 
 
STATE 00122429  003 OF 003 
 
 
does call for a dialogue among all Burmese stakeholders to 
ensure a fully inclusive political process in the lead-up to 
the 2010 elections, and references the July 2009 42nd Foreign 
Ministers meeting Communiqu, which calls for the release of 
political prisoners in Burma. 
 
---------------------------- 
Positive Reactions 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In their statements all the ASEAN Leaders expressed 
appreciation for increased U.S. engagement with ASEAN. 
Notable statements included the emphasis by the Vietnamese 
President on the importance of the U.S. role in supporting 
regional security.  (Comment:  Such a view expressed by a 
Vietnamese leader reflects a significant change in that 
country,s perspective of the regional geo-political 
situation and the general security concerns expressed by 
Vietnamese officials in other settings.  End Comment) 
Malaysian PM Najib asked for U.S. Peace Corps support for the 
ASEAN Volunteer program which, similar to the Peace Corps, 
will deploy young volunteers within ASEAN to disadvantaged 
areas to assist community development.  Burmese PM Thein Sein 
spoke on the need for cooperation with the U.S. on climate 
change and the environment. 
 
--------------- 
Comment 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Leaders, Meeting served the key purpose of 
demonstrating an enhanced U.S. engagement with the ASEAN 
region.  The President,s presence and commitment for another 
meeting in 2010 were seen as tangible indications of this new 
engagement as were the other commitments to cabinet-level 
interactions.  The ASEAN leaders, remarks reflected a 
consistent recognition that in a range of critical areas, 
from regional security to climate change, the United States 
is an important partner.  To sustain this new level of 
interaction, resources and effort will need to be directed to 
implementing all aspects of the joint statement such as on 
the Eminent Persons Group and visits by the Human Rights 
Commissioners. 
CLINTON