UNGA: DEMARCHES TO INDONESIA ON CUBA EMBARGO,

UNCLAS JAKARTA 013171 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNGA PREL PHUM ETRD CU ID SUBJECT: UNGA: DEMARCHES TO INDONESIA ON CUBA EMBARGO, COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS REF: A. STATE 184156 ¶B. STATE 182099 ¶C. STATE 184178 ¶1. (SBU) After learning that the entire staff of the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs Multilateral Affairs Directorate was either in New York or otherwise unavailable, we met November 9 with Harry Purwanto, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Director for North and Central America, to urge the Government of Indonesia to support Australia's amendment to the UNGA Cuba Embargo resolution (refs A, B) and to support specific UNGA country resolutions with regards to human rights (ref C). ¶2. (SBU) We had faxed the talking points on the Cuba embargo to the DFA on November 8 so that that the Ministry could coordinate the matter with the Indonesian Mission to te UN in a timely manner. However, we reviewed the matter with Purwanto again. He took our concerns on board and agreed to share them within the DFA. ¶3. (SBU) We also shared our views on upcoming country-specific UNGA Third Committee human rights resolutions (ref C). Purwanto reiterated the GOI's longstanding opposition in principle to country-specific resolutions, stating that the GOI preferred to address human rights issues by means of thematic resolutions. We urged the GOI to rethink its approach to this matter. We pointed out that Indonesia, which has just been elected to the Security Council, is a large country that should exert more moral and political leadership internationally, and it can hardly do this by opposing resolutions condemning regimes as odious as the one currently in power in the DPRK, to name one example. Purwanto accepted our points and agreed to coordinate them within the DFA. PASCOE