Cablegate: Sultan of Brunei's Letter to President

O 120718Z OCT 00
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9619

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000695

WHITE HOUSE FOR NEC/GSPERLING AND NSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: APEC ECON OPDC BX
OVIP (CLINTON, WILLIAM J.)
SUBJECT: SULTAN OF BRUNEI'S LETTER TO PRESIDENT
CLINTON CONCERNING APEC

1. FOLLOWING IS AN ADVANCE COPY OF SULTAN
HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH'S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
REGARDING THE AGENDA FOR THE NOVEMBER 15-16 APEC
LEADERS MEETING IN BRUNEI. WE EXPECT THAT BRUNEI
EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON WILL DELIVER THE ORIGINAL.

2. BEGIN TEXT OF SULTAN'S LETTER.

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

I AM VERY PLEASED THAT YOU WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN
THE INFORMAL APEC ECONOMIC LEADERS' MEETING IN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN ON 15-16 NOVEMBER.

WE WILL GATHER AGAIN THIS YEAR HAVING FURTHER
CONSOLIDATED THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND HAVING
CONTINUED THE DIFFICULT PROCESS OF STRUCTURAL REFORM
SO IMPORTANT FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IN THE
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF ALL ECONOMIES IN
THE REGION. OUR FINANCE MINISTERS, AT THEIR MEETING
IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM IN SEPTEMBER, HAVE CAUTIONED
AGAINST COMPLACENCY IN THESE EFFORTS AND HAVE DRAWN
ATTENTION TO THE KEY ISSUES NEEDED TO SECURE
FINANCIAL STABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH,
AND TO THE POTENTIAL RISKS AHEAD.

THESE ISSUES ARE ALL IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE
PROCESS OF MANAGING GLOBALISATION WHICH I BELIEVE IS
THE MAJOR CHALLENGE BEFORE US AT THIS TIME. I AM
THEREFORE SUGGESTING THAT THIS BE THE SUBJECT OF OUR
RETREAT ON THE MORNING OF 16 NOVEMBER. I WOULD BE
MOST GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD BE ONE OF THE LEAD
SPEAKERS ON THIS TOPIC. I KNOW THAT SOME LEADERS
MAY ALSO WANT TO RAISE THEIR CONCERNS OVER
INSTABILITY IN THE PRICE OF OIL AND I PROPOSE THAT
THIS BE DONE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MORNING RETREAT.
I OUTLINED SOME OF THE ISSUES WHICH I THOUGHT WERE
IMPORTANT FOR OUR DISCUSSION ON GLOBALIZATION AND
ITS STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN MY EARLIER LETTER TO YOU
AND I AM ENCOURAGED BY POSITIVE RESPONSES FROM
LEADERS. OUR OFFICIALS HAVE ALSO BEEN PREPARING
BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR US FOR THIS DISCUSSION WHICH
SHOWS SOME OF APEC'S KEY SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
SUCCESSES IN GLOBALIZATION AND SOME OF THE ISSUES
FOR THE FUTURE.

WHILE THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN THE FOCUS OF MANY
FORUMS THIS YEAR, I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE APEC BRINGS
TOGETHER A DIVERSE RANGE OF DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING
ECONOMIES, WE ARE IN A POSITION TO SHOW LEADERSHIP
AND MAKE A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION. WE SHOULD BE
STRIVING TO SHOW OUR COMMUNITIES THAT APEC'S
BALANCED AGENDA OF MARKET OPENING AND CAPACITY
BUILDING CAN MAKE GLOBALISATION AND THE REVOLUTION
IN TECHNOLOGY AN INCLUSIVE PROCESS WHICH, WHEN
EFFECTIVELY MANAGED, WILL PROVIDE GROWTH AND HIGHER
LIVING STANDARDS FOR ALL SECTIONS OF OUR ECONOMIES.
WE SHOULD BE REALISTIC ABOUT THE CHALLENGES BUT IT
IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE CONFIDENCE WITH A
CREDIBLE COURSE OF ACTION.

IN THIS RESPECT, I AM PLEASED TO LEARN FROM MY
OFFICIALS THAT MANY ECONOMIES HAVE OFFERED TO
INITIATE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS TO STRENGTHEN THE
CAPACITY OF OUR ECONOMIES TO TAKE UP THE ADVANTAGES
OF GLOBALIZATION. THESE PROGRAMS, DESIGNED TO
STRENGTHEN OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE, OUR MARKETS AND OUR
HUMAN RESOURCES, GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AS THE
CONDUIT TO THE SO-CALLED NEW ECONOMY. TOGETHER THEY
PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR TAKING CAPACITY BUILDING AND
COMMERCE TO THE WIDEST SPECTRUM OF OUR ECONOMIES,
ESPECIALLY THOSE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES WHO ARE YET
TO SEE THE FULL BENEFITS.

FOLLOWING THE MORNING SESSION AND AN INFORMAL
LUNCHEON WHERE COLLEAGUES WILL BE FREE TO DISCUSS
ISSUES AMONG THEMSELVES, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE
CONTINUE OUR RETREAT FOCUSING ON THE WTO AND
DEVELOPMENTS IN REGIONAL TRADING ARRANGEMENTS.

AS A REGION, OUR STAKE IN THE MULTILATERAL TRADING
SYSTEM HAS PERHAPS NEVER BEEN GREATER. I AM SURE
THEREFORE THAT WE ARE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT THE LACK
OF PROGRESS IN THE WTO AND WILL WANT TO STRESS IN
CLEAR TERMS THE IMPORTANCE OF A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHING
OF A NEW ROUND OF MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS.
OUR DISCUSSIONS WILL ENABLE US TO SHARE VIEWS ON
WAYS IN WHICH APEC CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRESS AND
HOW WE CAN COOPERATE IN CAPACITY BUILDING TO ENSURE
THAT WE CAN ALL MOVE FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE AND
DETERMINATION.

THE AFTERNOON RETREAT WILL ALSO PROVIDE AN IDEAL
OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO EXCHANGE VIEWS INFORMALLY ON
THE NATURE AND RATIONALE OF EMERGING REGIONAL
TRADING ARRANGEMENTS. I WOULD ENCOURAGE THIS
DISCUSSION TO BE FORWARD-LOOKING SO THAT WE CAN
DEVELOP A CLEARER PICTURE OF HOW SUCH ARRANGEMENTS
WILL HELP ADVANCE OUR COMMON GOALS.

I KNOW THAT ABAC HAS BEEN DISCUSSING BOTH
GLOBALISATION AND TRADE ISSUES THIS YEAR AND I
EXPECT THAT OUR DIALOGUE WITH ABAC MEMBERS ON THE
AFTERNOON OF 15 NOVEMBER WILL ENRICH OUR RETREAT
DISCUSSIONS. SEVERAL LEADERS WILL ALSO BE
INTERACTING WITH BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES AT THE CEO
SUMMIT ON 14-15 NOVEMBER.

FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE
ART EXHIBITION BY YOUNG ARTISTS FROM OUR APEC
ECONOMIES. YOUR VIEWING OF THE EXHIBITION AND
INTERACTION WITH THE ARTISTS AFTER THE CLOSE OF OUR
MEETINGS ON 15 NOVEMBER WILL SEND AN ENCOURAGING
SIGNAL TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE VALUE WE PLACE
ON MAINTAINING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION IN
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY BUILDING.

IN THE LAST 10 YEARS WE HAVE ANTICIPATED MANY OF THE
CHALLENGES AHEAD AND HAVE BEGUN OUR PREPARATIONS.
GIVEN THE TASK AHEAD AND WIDESPREAD CONCERN ABOUT
THE FUTURE, I BELIEVE THAT THE LEADERS' DECLARATION
SHOULD PROVIDE A CLEAR AND DECISIVE VISION OF THE
FUTURE AND ONE WHICH WILL GIVE GREATER CONFIDENCE TO
ALL PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

I LOOK FORWARD VERY MUCH TO WELCOMING YOU IN BRUNEI
DARUSSALAM NEXT MONTH.

YOURS SINCERELY,
/////
SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH
OF BRUNEI

END OF TEXT.

STANFIELD

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