VZCZCXYZ0014
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBD #0101 0850758
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250758Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4147
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1954
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0390
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0445
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0018
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0124
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0066
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0337
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 0690
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0144
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0068
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0381
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 3391
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0526
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0083
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0886
UNCLAS BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000101
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MNUC PARM PHSA PREL KNNP XE XD XO XT BX
SUBJECT: BRUNEI: URGING PSI ENDORSEMENT PRIOR TO MAY
REF: A) STATE 23568
B) STATE 28161
1. (U) Per reftel B, Ambassador met with Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (MFAT) Permanent Secretary Datin Maimunah to urge
formal Government of Brunei (GOB) endorsement of the Proliferation
Security Initiative Statement of Interdiction Principles (SOP) prior
to the May 28-29 PSI Fifth Anniversary Event. (Maimunah was the GOB
representative to the June 2006 PSI High Level Political Meeting in
Poland and the January 2007 Asian Senior-Level Talks on
Nonproliferation.) Edited reftel points and sample diplomatic note
were left as non-papers, along with a copy of the SOP.
2. (SBU) Datin Maimunah admitted that GOB legal and policy review
of SOP endorsement had slowed since the high-level visit for which
it was being considered as a deliverable was postponed. She was
unsure of the current status. Maimunah agreed to check with her
colleagues on where things stood with a view to determining whether
the GOB could provide written endorsement before May and so qualify
for an invitation to the first day of the Fifth Anniversary Event.
Per instructions in para 4 of reftel A, in the absence of formal SOP
endorsement from the GOB Ambassador did not/not deliver Under
Secretary Rood's letter of invitation to the Fifth Anniversary
SIPDIS
Event.
3. (SBU) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: Inertia is too often the
default position of the overworked and understaffed MFAT. Although
we will continue to ping Datin Maimunah and colleagues for formal
SOP endorsement, absent additional incentive we are not optimistic
about an early positive reply. To help nudge the GOB forward,
Embassy recommends that a modified invitation letter to the PSI
Fifth Anniversary Event be sent from Under Secretary Rood and/or EAP
Assistant Secretary Hill to Foreign Minister II Lim Jock Seng.
Letter should ask for appropriate GOB representation; make clear
that absent a formal, written endorsement of the SOP, the GOB is
only invited to the second day of the event; and, briefly highlight
the advantages the GOB could gain from participating in policy
discussions on the first day should it endorse the SOP. END COMMENT
AND ACTION REQUEST.
SKODON