GPOI FUNDING: INDONESIAN PLANS FOR A TRAINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 013308

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PM/PPA FOR FEATHERSTONE, EAP/RSP FOR ORTIZ, EAP/MTS FOR
COMLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016
TAGS: KPKO MARR MASS PREL ID
SUBJECT: GPOI FUNDING: INDONESIAN PLANS FOR A TRAINING
CENTER

REF: A. STATE 182164 NOTAL

B. JAKARTA 12546


1. (C) Poloff and ODC Chief met with Department of Foreign
Affairs officer for International Security and Disarmament
Yonatri Rilmania on November 14 to learn more about a planned
Indonesian center for peacekeeping training and to explain
U.S. funding possibilities for this and other potential
needs. We made a presentation along the lines suggested in
ref a. Yonatri said the Department of Foreign Affairs
(DEPLU),the Department of Defense (DEPHAN),the Indonesian
Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (INP)
had jointly drafted a decree to create the center. It had
been sent to the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal
and Security Affairs some time ago and was awaiting approval.
One further interagency meeting with the coordinating
ministry was scheduled to occur, and it was expected that
Deputy Minister R. Matonda would sign the decree.


2. (C) The Peacekeeping Training Center would be a small
coordinating office located in DEPLU, while actual
peacekeeping training would occur at existing military
training sites near Jakarta and elsewhere. (The training of
Indonesia's UNIFIL battalion, for instance, occurred
primarily at Bogor; Bandung also has training facilities.)
The Center, which would be headed by a director yet to be
identified, would establish an interagency Working Group to
develop, implement and oversee the training program.


3. (C) Our presentation summarized the GPOI program and its
relationship to UN programs. We emphasized that Indonesia
could use such training for UN, regional or other operations,
as Indonesia determined was best; and Indonesia was under no
obligation to participate in any given operation. We
outlined projected funding that would be available for
Indonesia under GPOI in FY06, FY07 and FY08. We noted that
the TNI was already a participant in the Multinational
Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) program and therefore had
ready access to its peacekeeping activities in the
Asia-Pacific region. Indonesia had participated in the 2006
COBRA GOLD in Thailand. In principle, we stressed, Indonesia
had already agreed to the tenets of GPOI. We outlined the
various phases, beginning with a UN assessment, which would
occur over several years to completion of the program.


4. (C) Yonatri said Indonesia was proud of its history of
peacekeeping operations and wanted an increased role in this
area, not only for UN operations but also regionally, similar
to the ones Malaysia and the Philippines had developed.
Indonesia wanted to join ASEAN neighbors to develop a joint
peacekeeping capability within the Southeast Asia region.


5. (C) Yonatri stressed that since the Center would likely
not involve a new building but would simply be an office
embedded in DEPLU, there might be limited opportunity for
funding for the Center itself. In terms of funding of
training sites and related materials and equipment, we
emphasized that U.S. GPOI funding was designed for facilities
dedicated to GPOI training and should avoid duplication of
the training materials or equipment at multiple sites.
Yonatri was unable to say to what extent Indonesia planned to
centralize its PKO training in such a way as to meet this
requirement.


6. (C) Separately, a USPACOM delegation which visited Jakarta
the week of November 6 briefed TNI officers on the GPOI
program and U.S. assistance. The TNI interlocutors were
noncommittal but expressed interest and said they would brief
the program to headquarters.
PASCOE