VZCZCXRO3114
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHBY #1090/01 3450014
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 110014Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2418
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1218
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 001090 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AS
SUBJECT: ASIA PACIFIC COMMUNITY CONFERENCE: MEETING IS THE 
MESSAGE 
 
Classified By: Political/Economic Counselor Edgard Kagan, for reasons 1 
.4 (b),(d) 
 
¶1. (C/NF) Summary: The December 3-5 track 1.5 conference on 
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's proposed Asia Pacific community 
(APc) concept achieved the limited goal of further discussion 
on regional institutions.  Though ostensibly co-sponsored by 
the Lowy Institute (an Australian think tank) and the 
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, PM Rudd's 
influence permeated the event.  He gave the opening speech 
and hosted a reception for the delegates at his official 
Sydney residence.  A Rudd advisor told us the PM was 
disappointed at the continuing strong opposition by ASEAN 
countries as well as frustrated that countries such as India 
and Russia are not more eager to support his initiative. 
While no consensus emerged on what an APc would look like, 
participants agreed that a completely new institution was 
unrealistic. The most commonly voiced ideas included 
expanding the East Asia Summit (EAS) to include the United 
States and Russia, or adding security issues to an APEC plus 
India forum.  Some delegates from ASEAN, ever fearful of 
losing their place in the driver's seat of regional 
architecture, voiced strong opposition to the APc concept and 
U.S. and Russian participation in the EAS.  EAP Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary Joe Donovan led the U.S. 
delegation.  End Summary. 
 
No New Regional Institution 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The 1.5 track Australia sponsored APc conference 
held in Sydney December 3-5 achieved Canberra's limited goal 
of attracting government officials and academics for a 
further discussion on regional institutions.  The Australians 
set low expectations.  When Richard Woolcott, Prime Minister 
Rudd's Special Envoy for the APc announced the conference in 
early November he stressed that the goal was not to be 
prescriptive but to provide an opportunity to have a dialogue 
and explore as many ideas as possible.  From his extensive 
consultations around the region before the conference, 
Woolcott had already publically stated that "little appetite 
for creating new institutions" existed. 
 
¶3. (SBU) While no consensus emerged on what an APc would look 
like, participants reaffirmed Woolcott's conclusion that a 
new institution was unrealistic.  Expanding the EAS to 
include the United States and Russia, or adding security 
issues to an APEC plus India forum were the most commonly 
voiced ideas. 
 
¶4. (C/NF) PM Rudd was satisfied that the conference took 
place and attracted "decent" representation from the region, 
according to Rudd's international policy advisor Scott Dewar. 
 Rudd remains frustrated at the continuing suspicion from 
ASEAN countries, though the he understands that they resent 
the implication that ASEAN is part of the problem in Asian 
architecture.  Dewar said the PM is also surprised that 
countries such as India and Russia have not embraced the 
proposal. 
 
ASEAN Opposition 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The perennial question of ASEAN's centrality in any 
regional organization flared up repeatedly during the 
discussions.  Many Southeast Asia participants argued against 
any diminishment of ASEAN's lead position, despite former 
ASEAN Secretary General Ong's statement that ASEAN and 
Southeast Asian states would not stand in the way of a new or 
QSoutheast Asian states would not stand in the way of a new or 
reconfigured grouping.  When Michael Wesley, head of the 
conference co-sponsor Lowy Institute, tried to sum up the 
discussions with a few principles going forward, many 
Southeast Asian participants vociferously disagreed with his 
points. 
 
¶6. (C/NF) Australia is confused by the mixed messages it is 
hearing from Singapore, according to Scott Dewar, 
international policy advisor to PM Rudd.  Singapore made 
clear to Australia and others its great discomfort with 
Japanese PM Hatoyama's proposal of an East Asian Community 
that might exclude the United States, according to Dewar. 
However, Singaporean Ambassador at Large Tommy Koh was openly 
skeptical at the conference of whether the United States 
 
CANBERRA 00001090  002 OF 002 
 
 
should be included in a new Asian institution, according to 
Dewar.  He said that more generally, Singapore and Malaysia 
remain the most skeptical of Rudd's initiative, though 
insisting that many of their concerns have been assuaged. 
 
U.S. Participation Welcomed 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Most delegates generally welcomed U.S. 
participation.  The government representatives tended to be 
in listening mode, while a few of the private delegates did 
express some anti-U.S. sentiment.  Conference co-convener Ton 
Ni Thi Ninh, a former Vietnamese diplomat, (speaking 
personally) suggested that neither the United States nor 
Russia should be part of the EAS because neither country is 
"Asian."  A European delegate (invited to discuss lessons 
from the European Union, again speaking personally) 
complained that the United States is the unilateral "guard 
dog" of the region, and that its role should be limited to 
the security fora. 
 
¶8. (SBU) PDAS Donovan strongly told the delegates that the 
United States has comprehensive interests in the Asia Pacific 
beyond security to include trade, finance, combating climate 
change and other transnational issues such as narcotics and 
human trafficking.  He stated the United States wished to 
work with Asia Pacific nations to shape emerging regional 
Architecture. 
 
Going Forward? 
-------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) In the final session, Lowy Institute's Wesley tried 
to sum up the conference.  He suggested the following points 
as a rough framework for principles going forward to be sent 
to Prime Minister Rudd but faced explicit and vocal 
disagreement from some of the ASEAN delegates. 
 
-- Annual leaders meeting to discuss security, economic and 
political issues 
-- APc should complement existing institutions, including the 
G20 
-- APc should draw on ASEAN, which remains an important part 
of any regional architecture 
-- Regional economic decisions should be market driven 
-- APc dialogue should include traditional and 
non-traditional security threats 
-- APc countries should have both a significant interest and 
a capacity in an issue to participate 
 
¶10. (U) PDAS Donovan cleared this message. 
 
BLEICH