NO SURPRISES AT UBUD ASEAN MINISTERIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 005237

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MTS AND EAP/RSP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEAN PHUM BM ID
SUBJECT: NO SURPRISES AT UBUD ASEAN MINISTERIAL

REF: JAKARTA 4755 (INDONESIA PREVIEWS BALI SUMMIT)

Classified By: Marc L. Desjardins, Poltical Counselor. Reason: 1.4 (b,
d)


1. (C) Summary. Based on readouts from Indonesian Foreign
Ministry and Jakarta-based diplomatic contacts, the ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting Retreat held in Ubud, Bali on April 19 -
20 seems to have been a routine affair. Some ministers
expressed disappointment with Burma, but it was hardly a
full-court press since others pulled their punches. The
Eminent Persons Group, meeting concurrently in Ubud, found
support from civil society groups for incorporating language
on democracy, good governance, and human rights into an
eventual ASEAN Charter. End summary.

More of the Same On Burma
--------------


2. (C) We obtained readouts of the April 19 - 20 ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting and April 17 - 20 ASEAN Eminent Persons
Group Meeting, held concurrently in Ubud Bali (reftel),from
the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs and a
Jakarta-based Singaporean diplomat. Ade Parmo Sarwono,
Deputy Director for ASEAN Political and Security Affairs, at
Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs, reported no
progress on Burma. He confirmed that Malaysian Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar's readout of his trip to Burma as
ASEAN was critical, stressing his lack of access to either
senior-level Burmese officials such as Than Shwe or to
opposition groups. Parmo also said that there was general
dissatisfaction with lack of progress on Burma's "road map,"
and on Burma's failure to be more forthcoming with its ASEAN
partners. Padmo said that ASEAN delegations did express
gratitude to President Yudhoyono, saying that his March 1 - 2
visit to Rangoon had been instrumental in persuading the SPDC
to finally accept Hamid's visit.


3. (C) Adrian Chung, First Secretary at the Singaporean
Embassy in Jakarta, offered more detail. He said that
Singapore and Indonesia's Foreign Ministers had pressed Burma
to "do more," and had pointed out the damage that was being
done to ASEAN's credibility, but that other Ministers were
willing to offer Myanmar "more time." Thailand and Malaysia
had been particularly "wishy washy," according to Chung.
Singapore's Foreign Minister, Chung said, had argued that
ASEAN could allow the SPDC more time, but only if it had some
progress to show in the meantime. Myanmar had hinted that
opposition groups were seeking to manipulate ASEAN, Chung
said, adding that this charge was not new.


4. (U) In comments to the press, Minister Hamid Albar said
that Burma would not respond to pressure from ASEAN, but
would accept "suggestions." Indonesian Foreign Minister
Hassan Wirajuda echoed this, calling for a policy of
"constructive engagement."

East Asia Summit
--------------


5. (C) On East Asia Summit membership, Padmo and Chung said
that the Ministers had endorsed the status quo. Chung said
that Indonesia and Singapore had urged a de facto moratorium
on accepting new members, and that some Ministers who had
previously advocated membership for Russia were not vocal
during the Ubud Ministerial. Padmo said that Ministers had
reaffirmed that the EAS was to be a leader-driven
arrangement, without a Secretariat or bureaucrat-dominated
implementation process. The paradigm, he said, would be the
G-8. Ministers also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining
a central role for ASEAN in the EAS.


6. (SBU) On related regional architecture issues, Ministers
welcomed France's decision to accede to the Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation, and reaffirmed the status quo with regard to
East Timor's relationship with ASEAN. They agreed that ASEAN
members should help East Timor develop capacity for full
membership.

Eminent Persons Group
--------------


7. (SBU) On the Eminent Persons Group meeting (reftel para
3),civil society groups had urged that language on

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democracy, good governance, and protection and promotion of
human rights be written into the new ASEAN Charter, a
document that would make ASEAN a legal entity. This tracked,
Padmo said, with proposals contained in a paper prepared by
former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas. Another
proposed passage would affirm that ASEAN rejects changes of
government by non-constitutional means. The EPG was
concerned, he said, that that "diplomats and bureaucrats"
might press to water down these provisions in the finished
draft document.


8. (C) Padmo and Chung explained that the EPG hopes to
present two documents ready to heads of government at the
ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines in December: a stocktaking
of ASEAN's achievements since its inception together with a
road map for its development in coming years; and a set of
specific recommendations for the ASEAN charter, to be drafted
by Ali Alatas. Chung noted that there had been discussions
on the margins of the Ubud AMM on the possibility of
advancing the date for completing the ASEAN Community from
2020 to 2015.
PASCOE