UN ENVOY GAMBARI DISCUSSES BURMA WITH AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002211 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV ID BM SUBJECT: UN ENVOY GAMBARI DISCUSSES BURMA WITH AMBASSADOR Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSYG) Ibrahim Gambari visited Indonesia SIPDIS August 10 on a round of regional consultations re the UN SYG's good offices' mandate on Burma. He assured Ambassador Hume that Chinese and Russian officials would push the Burmese to work with him. Gambari found ASEAN interlocutors supportive of his efforts. He added that Indonesian officials were frustrated with the lack of progress in Burma. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) WORKING WITH CHINA AND RUSSIA: Gambari discussed his recent meetings on Burma in Beijing and Moscow. The Chinese and Russian governments, according to Gambari, do not see Burma as a threat to international peace and security and thus they hold the position that the regime is not an appropriate target for UNSC action. China and Russia remain opposed to referring Burma to the UN Human Rights Council for action. By default, Gambari said, the SYG's good offices mandate was the only viable mechanism for international engagement on the issue. Chinese and Russian interlocutors had told him that they would press the regime in Rangoon to work constructively with his mission so that the good offices' process could deliver tangible results. ¶3. (C) ASEAN SUPPORTIVE: Based on meetings at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta and with governments in other ASEAN SIPDIS capitals, Gambari reported ASEAN support for his mission. He cautioned, however, that there was a danger the ASEAN countries would slacken their efforts to push reform in Burma, seeing the UN's good offices' effort as a substitute for bilateral or other multilateral action. He urged the USG to maintain pressure on ASEAN members to support the UN process and to maintain their own efforts to promote reform in Rangoon. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Hume responded that the USG would continue to push the issue, but noted that ASEAN's consensus-based approach made it very easy for one state to block effective action. For this reason, momentum for ASEAN action had to come from within the organization. ASEAN had to realize that international patience with inaction on Burma was not unlimited. ¶5. (C) GOI FRUSTRATED: While in Indonesia, Gambari met FM Wirajuda and former FM Ali Alatas. Gambari commended Indonesia's creation of a national human rights commission and said all ASEAN members should establish similar bodies. This, he added, would stimulate stronger ASEAN action on Burma. Gambari also reported that FM Wirajuda was particularly frustrated with the slow pace of progress in Burma. In light of this, there was a danger that the GOI could eventually lose interest in pushing for reform there. HUME