INDONESIAN MIDDLE EAST ENVOY PLANS ANOTHER IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002276 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, NEA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2017 TAGS: ETTC ID IR PARM PREL SUBJECT: INDONESIAN MIDDLE EAST ENVOY PLANS ANOTHER IRAN VISIT Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission John Heffern for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This cable contains an Action Request; Please see Para ¶4. ¶2. (C) On August 20, the Deputy Chief of Mission met with Alwi Shihab, who served as Indonesia's foreign minister from 1999-2001 and is currently President Yudhoyono's Special Envoy to the Middle East. Special Envoy Shihab, who requested the meeting, informed the DCM that he would be traveling to Iran in mid-September to discuss Indonesia's investment in a fertilizer plant, and offered to make any points that the USG might have for the Iranian leadership. He stressed that his host in Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, had direct access to President Ahmadinejad. The DCM noted--as Shihab recently discussed with PDAS McNerney (Septel)--two key issues of concern were Iran's refusal to cooperate with the IAEA and abide by UNSC sanctions and Iranian efforts to arm insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shihab commented that he found his discussions with McNerney to be useful. ¶3. (C) Shihab told the DCM that Indonesia currently had a fertilizer shortage related to the closure of a plant in Aceh because of insufficient fuel supplies. Iran, he said, was offering fuel at 25 percent of the going rate in Indonesia, and an Indonesian state-owned company would own 50 percent of the plant. Financing remains to be arranged. ¶4. (C) Action Request: We request any specific information--or points that Department wants Shihab to make in Tehran--by September 5. End Action Request. HUME