SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT A/S HILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001452 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR A/S HILL FROM JOHN HEFFERN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2017 TAGS: PREL MASS MARR SOCI ID SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT A/S HILL Classified By: CDA John Heffern, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Embassy Jakarta and ConGen Surabaya welcome your upcoming visit to Indonesia. Rumbles within the U.S. House of Representatives of possible legislation that would jeopardize normalized military-to-military relations with Indonesia would unravel our recent progress in this area and arouse a strongly negative reaction from President Yudhoyono. You will want to assure GOI leaders of the Administration's intention to fully oppose such steps, while reminding them that visible actions towards accountability for past abuses would do much to solidify our important mil-mil cooperation. You should point out the need for Jakarta to get more serious on counterterrorism finance issues and actively investigate Kompak, a charity that provides significant funding to local terrorists. You will want to lobby for Indonesia to support our UNSC goals on Kosovo and Iran, as well as remind Indonesia of the importance of regularizing avian influenza sample sharing. GOI leaders will be interested in your assessment of Korean Peninsula issues as well as your assessment of the future of China. In East Java, you will want to avoid any suggestion of American interest in providing funding for the man-made mud disaster there caused by a company owned by the family of Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs Bakrie. End Summary Maintaining the Military to Military Relationship -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Although our bilateral relations have been excellent since the election of President Yudhoyono, there remain a number of potential irritants that could slow or even halt for a time the important progress we have made. A setback that SBY would most likely take personally would be passage of U.S. legislation that would impose new limitations on the military-to-military relationship that was restored by the Secretary in November 2005. There is talk of new, SIPDIS unspecified restrictions to be introduced by Representative Nita Lowey in this year's appropriations bill that could cause important damage, depending on the language and whether a waiver was available. While SBY may not be able to receive you on May 29, due to the uncertainty of his return from Malaysia that day, providing assurances to Coordinating Minister Widodo and/or Foreign Minister Wirajuda of the Administration's opposition to such provisions would be important. Simultaneously placing a marker on the importance of accountability, and the need for visible steps, even if only to prevent notorious military officials from continued promotion, as well as the successful prosecution of those behind the poisoning of human rights activist Munir, would assist in showing to Congress that progress continues. The Commission on Truth and Friendship Indonesia-Timor Leste has been holding hearings but it remains unclear whether it will make recommendations of a substantive nature or name names. Security Council/International Issues -------------- ¶3. (C) You will want to gauge how much stomach the GOI has for further difficult votes in the Security Council, notably on Kosovo and Iran. The Indonesians stated that they have made no final decision on Kosovo, but are clearly leaning against our position. Since the GOI has a strong visceral reaction to anything that smacks of the UN endorsing separatism within a sovereign state, our sense is that they will continue to hide behind the Russians as long as there is no P-5 consensus. You should stress that Kosovo's history is unique and Ahtisaari's plan sets no precedent for other regions. ¶4. (C) We can expect even greater problems on any new resolution on Iran that calls for additional sanctions. Again, P-5 consensus will be key. Given the barrage of criticism SBY suffered after the last Iran vote, including from parties within his coalition, we believe the GOI will resist any resolution that encompasses new sanctions. Your meetings with senior leaders will be an important opportunity to gauge their thinking on the prospect of a new resolution on Iran. There are plans for senior Indonesian leaders to be summoned before Parliament in the coming week to explain Indonesia's vote in favor of UNSCR 1747. (Note: Depending on the schedule decided, there could be an effect on your appointment requests.) ¶5. (C) While the Indonesians have long had an interest in JAKARTA 00001452 002 OF 003 the Korean Peninsula, last summer SBY wisely decided to cancel a planned visit to the two Korean capitals in the wake of DPRK missile testing. Since then, there has been no visible involvement by the GOI on Korean issues. You should use the opportunity of reviewing progress in the Six-Party Talks to remind GOI leaders of the important role they could play were they to sign on to the principles of the Proliferation Security Initiative. Foreign Minister Wirajuda himself seems to be personally dug in against the idea. If given the opportunity, raising PSI with SBY and/or Coordinating Minister Widodo would also be useful. ¶6. (C) In any conversation on Iraq, you could usefully inquire as to where the Indonesian "three track approach" (reconciliation, Muslim peacekeeping force and rebuilding conference) stands in case there has been any actual GOI diplomatic engagement with third parties. Thus far, the GOI seems intent for violence to subside in Iraq before proceeding. Counter Terrorist Financing -------------- ¶7. (C) The Indonesian police have had important successes arresting and prosecuting terrorists operating inside the country, but the GOI has put far less energy into stopping the flow of funds to domestic terror groups. Indonesia has taken no action to implement its asset-freezing obligations under UNSCR 1267, including against well known terrorists like Abu Bakar Basyir. A number of GOI agencies have a role in implementing UNSCR 1267, most importantly the Foreign Ministry (DEPLU),the Attorney General,s office, the police, and Bank Indonesia (BI). However, finger pointing between the four have left it unclear who, if anyone, is in charge. Deplu officials have confided the GOI finds the whole UNSCR 1267 process &too confrontational.8 A related issue is the involvement of an Indonesian Muslim charity, Kompak, in financing and abetting terrorist acts in Central Sulawesi and elsewhere. At our recommendation, Washington agreed that approaching the GOI quietly about taking action against Kompak would likely be more effective than pursuing a public designation under UN 1267. However, Coordinating Minister Widodo has been unwilling to meet us to discuss the issue, although we have delivered our points on Kompak at a lower level. It would be very appropriate to raise the Kompak and UNSCR 1267 implementation issues with both Widodo and Foreign Minister Wirajuda. Avian Influenza (AI) and Sample Sharing -------------- ¶8. (C) Indonesia continues to suffer regular human AI cases, and as of May 22 has reported a total of 96 human cases with 76 deaths. The U.S. has funded a generous assistance program to the GOI on AI. However, since January, Indonesia's refusal to share human AI samples with World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating influenza centers such as the CDC has strained our relationship on AI issues. The U.S. objects to the cut-off because it undermines the global influenza surveillance system and makes it difficult to quickly assess whether the AI virus may have mutated into a more lethal form. Indonesia says it ceased sharing samples because it was receiving no benefit from them--developed countries would take the samples and produce vaccines that were in turn too expensive for Indonesia and other developing countries to afford. After five months, Indonesia shared three AI samples with the WHO collaborating center in Tokyo on May 10, but it is unclear whether it intends to continue sharing samples on a regular basis. After intense negotiations, delegates at the May 14-23 World Health Assembly (WHA) reached agreement on a compromise resolution that reflects major concessions by all parties, including the U.S. Although the WHA resolution moves the issue forward, it would be helpful to remind FM Wirajuda and other officials you meet about the importance of Indonesia rejoining the global AI surveillance system and regularizing sample sharing. Mud Disaster -------------- ¶9. (C) May 29 marks the one year anniversary of the Lapindo gas well accident which led to the eruption of the largest well blowout ever recorded. We believe the resulting mud flow could have been stopped or reduced if enough resources had been directed towards relief wells early on. However, JAKARTA 00001452 003 OF 003 too little, too late, (or not at all) has characterized the response of all involved. The problem has not been addressed because of the inability of the President to force Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare and SBY campaign financier Aburizal Bakrie and family, who own the managing interest in Lapindo, to take responsibility, whether directly or by holding Lapindo liable in court. We should not involve ourselves in this catastrophe either by offering assistance or by criticizing the GOI's mishandling of it. HEFFERN