GOB GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO INDONESIAN ENVOY

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 001159 SIPDIS TREASURY FOR OASIA JEFF NEIL USPACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2013 TAGS: PREL PGOV BM ID SUBJECT: GOB GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO INDONESIAN ENVOY REF: A. JAKARTA 10347 ¶B. JAKARTA 10206 ¶C. KUALA LUMPUR 6267 Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) ¶1. (C) According to U Thaung Tun, MFA Director General for Political Affairs, the GOB has agreed to a visit within the next week by Indonesian Presidential Advisor Ali Alatas. The DG told us on September 18 that the specific dates for the visit are "under negotiation," due primarily to the imminent departure of several GOB cabinet members to New York for the UNGA, but added that the visit would take place "within days." (Note: The Italian and Indian Ambassadors told COM that they have heard Alatas will arrive as early as September ¶21. End note). U Thaung Tun stressed to P/E Chief that Alatas would visit Burma only in his capacity as a personal envoy for President Megawati, and not on behalf of ASEAN. ¶2. (C) Comment: A visit by Alatas to Rangoon, just two weeks prior to the ASEAN Summit in Bali, provides an excellent opportunity for a key ASEAN country to press the SPDC regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and her detained NLD colleagues. The SPDC will make every attempt to use his visit, and the expected September 30 visit of U.N. Special Envoy Razali (ref C),to soften the frosty reception that Burma will face in Bali. Furthermore, it is likely that the SPDC will chastise Alatas for FM Wirajuda's recent public call for ASSK's release (ref A). We hope that Alatas is prepared to bite back and deliver a strong message that there will be no political progress until the NLD leadership is released from detention. Martinez