ADMIRAL FALLON'S MEETING WITH MINISTER WIDODO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002820 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2016 TAGS: MARR MASS PREL PGOV PTER PHUM ID SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON'S MEETING WITH MINISTER WIDODO Classified By: POLITICAL OFFICER DAVID WILLIS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and ( D). ¶1. (C) Summary. Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral William J. Fallon, met with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Widodo A.S. on February 23. He emphasized the importance to the United States of restored mil-mil relations with Indonesia. Both leaders shared their interest in overcoming past difficulties to create a lasting relationship. Widodo noted Indonesia's commitment to military reform and counterterrorism and encouraged educational opportunities in the U.S. for the Indonesian military. Admiral Fallon expressed U.S. support for CT efforts among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines in the triborder area. To handle the issue, Widodo said the three countries had formed a special CT network and that Indonesia had hosted a January meeting in Manado, Sulawesi. End Summary. Rebuilding Mil-Mil Relations -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Coordinating Minister Widodo began the February 23 meeting by expressing the Indonesian Government's appreciation for the U.S. decision to lift military assistance restrictions and normalize relations with Indonesia's armed forces (TNI). He characterized this as the start of a new era in U.S. - Indonesia bilateral relations and viewed identifying the next steps as among his responsibilities. Admiral Fallon described U.S. relations with Indonesia as of the utmost importance and noted the opportunity for Jakarta to demonstrate to Washington that the TNI had moved beyond its checkered past by marking accomplishments in areas of mutual concern, such as counterterrorism. ¶3. (SBU) Widodo, a retired TNI Armed Forces Chief and the only Navy Admiral to ever hold the position, extolled the benefits he had personally witnessed of TNI Navy interaction with PACOM elements and said such engagement could help return relations to prior levels. Admiral Fallon said the relationship could even reach higher levels and added that the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Roughead, was planning to visit Indonesia in March to meet with TNI Navy Admirals to further identify ways to enhance relations. ¶4. (C) Long term educational opportunities in the United States for TNI officers were suggested by Widodo as a necessary programmatic element to enhance TNI professionalism and deepen TNI experience with the culture, values, and systems of the U.S. armed forces. Later, when program participants achieved more strategic positions in their career, they could rely on their previous U.S. educational experience to approach the bilateral relationship. Admiral Fallon agreed with the importance of joint educational experiences and with incorporating such programs into the relationship. In addition, the Admiral suggested shorter-term educational opportunities for TNI officers also could be arranged. As a second item of interest, Widodo said the GOI was impressed by the speed of the U.S. military's post-tsunami disaster response and was interested in building a similar TNI capacity. GOI Commitment to Reforms and Counterterrorism -------------- -- ¶5. (SBU) In a lengthy explanation of Indonesia's political landscape, Widodo said TNI reform was a sincere priority for both political and military leaders and included both cultural and structural changes. The GOI remained committed to democratization and creating a healthy political and security environment to enable the country to fully recover economically from the 1997-98 economic crisis. The internal government anti-corruption effort was another important step that eventually would ensure the entire GOI budget is used as intended and that economic development items are fully funded. ¶6. (C) Widodo admitted Indonesia faced a serious terrorist threat and said the GOI was committed to developing a policy that incorporated law enforcement and ideological components that would attract both political support and public participation. International assistance, he said, was essential for Indonesia's CT efforts. The GOI was moving to elevate his Ministry's CT Coordination Desk to a ministry-level agency, but a number of steps remained before JAKARTA 00002820 002 OF 002 that body was able to coordinate the interagency CT effort. Admiral Fallon added that the democratic principles shared by the U.S. and Indonesia made cooperation against the common terrorist threat a natural step. The Admiral told Widodo that PACOM's Joint Interagency Taskforce - West (JIATF-West) was looking at adapting its counternarcotics work to counterterrorism, and that a JIATF-West officer was currently in Jakarta and available for discussions. Widodo welcomed the Admiral's invitation to an upcoming PACOM-sponsored symposium in Bangkok to facilitate sharing experiences of developing an integrated and coordinated CT approach. ¶7. (C) Admiral Fallon expressed U.S. interest in facilitating CT cooperation in the triborder area among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and was urging the Philippine military to increase pressure on terrorists in Mindanao. The Admiral encouraged Indonesia and Malaysia to likewise increase vigilance in that border area and offered U.S. assistance in the effort. Widodo said the GOI was aware the terror threat in the triborder area and he used a wall map of the region to identify the routes most frequently used northward from Sulawesi and East Kalimantan. In response to the threat, Widodo said the three countries had developed a special intelligence network, and that Indonesia had hosted a meeting in January in Manado, Sulawesi. ¶8. (U) Admiral Fallon has cleared this message. PASCOE