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 JAKARTA 00005237 002 OF 002 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