11 June 2003
U.S., Thailand Explore Defense Ties Upgrade, Urge Democracy in Burma
(June 11 joint statement by U.S. and Thailand) (1570)
In recognition of the long history of U.S.-Thai cooperation, President
Bush has stated that the United States is "actively considering"
designating Thailand as a Major Non NATO Ally (MNNA), according to a
June 11 joint statement between the two countries.
President Bush met Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra the
previous day in the White House.
According to the joint statement, Bush welcomed Bangkok's offer to
deploy a military engineering battalion and medical teams to Iraq.
He also thanked Thailand for its earlier humanitarian assistance to
the people of Iraq.
Bush and Thaksin expressed "deep concern over recent developments in
Burma," citing the attack on a motor convoy carrying democracy
advocate and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi on May 30.
"The two leaders agreed on the need for the immediate release of Aung
San Suu Kyi and other National League for Democracy (NLD) members,"
the joint statement said.
Thaksin affirmed the Thai Government's readiness to do "whatever
possible to facilitate Burmese national reconciliation and the return
to democracy" for that country currently ruled by a military junta.
The two leaders noted that a democratic and prosperous Burma was
important "to the stability and prosperity of Southeast Asia."
They called for "an immediate substantive political dialogue between
Rangoon and all domestic political elements, consistent with the
regime's stated commitment to a peaceful transition to democracy."
The two leaders also expressed their concern over the situation on the
Korean peninsula, where North Korea's communist rulers seek to acquire
nuclear weapons.
According to the joint statement, Bush and Thaksin "reaffirmed their
commitment to work with other states in Asia to achieve the complete,
verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear
weapons program, as is necessary for stability, peace, and security in
the region."
Following is the text of the June 11 joint statement:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
June 11, 2003
JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE KINGDOM
OF THAILAND
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra met on
June 10, 2003 to reaffirm the strength and importance of the alliance
between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand, built upon 170
years of close and warm relationship between both the two nations. In
recognition of that long history of cooperation, the President
informed the Prime Minister that the United States is actively
considering Thailand's designation as a Major Non NATO Ally (MNNA).
The two leaders discussed developments in Iraq and reaffirmed their
shared commitment to help build a stable, prosperous, and democratic
Iraq. President Bush welcomed Thailand's offer to deploy a military
engineering battalion and medical teams to Iraq, and expressed
appreciation for the humanitarian assistance that Thailand has already
extended to the Iraqi people. The President further welcomed
Thailand's successful deployment of an engineering battalion working
with the Coalition in Afghanistan, noting that such cooperation
highlights the continued vitality of the U.S.-Thai alliance.
Both leaders agreed that a lasting peace in the Middle East is of
vital interest to the international community. In this regard, Prime
Minister Thaksin expressed his appreciation for the personal
involvement by President Bush to secure a comprehensive road map for
sustainable peace and security in the region.
President Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin expressed concern about the
situation on the Korean Peninsula. They reaffirmed their commitment to
work with other states in Asia to achieve the complete, verifiable,
and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program,
as is necessary for stability, peace, and security in the region. The
President and the Prime Minister expressed concern for the people of
North Korea and agreed on the importance of humanitarian food
assistance and efforts to ensure that it gets to those who need it.
President Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin expressed deep concern over
recent developments in Burma, in particular the violence that occurred
on May 30, 2003. The two leaders agreed on the need for the immediate
release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League for Democracy
(NLD) members. Prime Minister Thaksin affirmed the Thai Government's
readiness to do whatever possible to facilitate Burmese national
reconciliation and the return to democracy. Noting that a democratic
and prosperous Burma is important to the stability and prosperity of
Southeast Asia, President Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin called for
an immediate substantive political dialogue between Rangoon and all
domestic political elements, consistent with the regime's stated
commitment to a peaceful transition to democracy.
The two leaders emphasized their continued support for a peaceful
solution to the conflict in Aceh and expressed hope that the parties
would return to a negotiating process that seeks a political
settlement which addresses the grievances of the people of Aceh, while
respecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia.
The President commended Thailand's strong leadership in responding to
the challenge of terrorism in Southeast Asia and its commitment to the
international community to fight against all forms of terror. The
President also expressed appreciation for the close U.S.-Thai
partnership on counterterrorism. President Bush and Prime Minister
Thaksin discussed recent developments in the war on terror in
Southeast Asia, welcoming the enhanced cooperation among ASEAN nations
that has helped disrupt terror plots and apprehend members of the
Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network. While noting that substantial
progress has been made in eliminating terrorist threats from the
region, the two leaders agreed that the war on terror is far from
over. The President and the Prime Minister agreed on the need to
further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to combat
terrorism and looked forward to the upcoming APEC Leaders' Meeting in
Bangkok as an important opportunity to advance important
counterterrorism objectives. The President praised Thailand for
joining the Container Security Initiative (CSI), designed to enhance
the protection of shipping against exploitation by terrorists, and
welcomed the plan for Minister of Foreign Affairs Surakiart
Sathirathai and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to sign the
Declaration of Principles in Washington.
The two leaders recognized the long, successful history of cooperation
between the United States and Thailand on law enforcement and
counternarcotics. President Bush appreciated Thailand's leadership in
hosting one of the largest and most successful U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) operations in the world as well as the U.S.-Thai
International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). President Bush
recognized Prime Minister Thaksin's determination to combat
transnational crime in all its forms, including drug trafficking and
trafficking in persons. Regarding recent press allegations that Thai
security services carried out extrajudicial killings during a
counternarcotics campaign in Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin stated
unequivocally that the Thai Government does not tolerate extrajudicial
killings and assured President Bush that all allegations regarding
killings are being investigated thoroughly.
President Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin celebrated the long
U.S.-Thai partnership on a wide variety of tropical and infectious
diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and agreed to strengthen that
cooperation to combat new threats, such as Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS). The President commended Thailand's leadership in
hosting the ASEAN and China Summit on SARS and offered continued U.S.
support and assistance. Prime Minister Thaksin informed the President
about his goals for the Asian Cooperative Dialogue (ACD), noting his
hope that it would help strengthen regional cooperation across a range
of fields.
President Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin celebrated the robust
economic ties between the United States and Thailand and emphasized a
desire to expand trade and investment ties even further, as called for
in the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). The
leaders expressed interest in moving forward under the auspices of the
President's Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative (EAI), which sets forth a
road map to promote investment, growth, and free trade between the
United States and ASEAN countries. The President and the Prime
Minister committed to making tangible progress on existing commitments
under the TIFA, including in the areas of intellectual property
rights, investment, and customs, as a necessary first step towards a
possible free trade agreement. Both leaders also committed to work
together in the World Trade Organization's Doha Development Agenda
negotiations, emphasizing that progress on agriculture will be key to
a successful conclusion of the Doha negotiations.
Both sides recognized that Life Sciences will be one of the leading
industry sectors in the new century, promising significant human
benefits and economic growth. In that regard, Thailand welcomed the
U.S. initiative to establish the Life Sciences Innovation Forum under
APEC. The Prime Minister expressed hope that such mutual cooperation
would advance Thailand's efforts to become a world class center for
research and development in Life Sciences and related health fields.
The President congratulated Prime Minister Thaksin on his leadership
of APEC in 2003. The two leaders affirmed their commitment to making
tangible progress in APEC on both trade and investment liberalization
and counterterrorism objectives. The President looked forward to his
State visit to Thailand before the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and
expressed appreciation for the gracious invitation of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej to visit Thailand. Prime Minister Thaksin expressed
appreciation for the excellent arrangements being made for the
forthcoming visit by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to
Washington. The leaders agreed that these visits would further
strengthen the already warm friendship between their two governments
and between the American and Thai peoples.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
