BURMA AND INDONESIA: KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON FOR A

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002829 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS (COPE),IO/UNP (WICKBERG),G (CURRIE) NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2017 TAGS: PREL PINS PHUM UNSC ID BM SUBJECT: BURMA AND INDONESIA: KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON FOR A TOUGH UNSC PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT REF: A. SINGAPORE 1852 ¶B. USUN 817 ¶C. JAKARTA 2821 AND PREVIOUS ¶D. RANGOON 977 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY -- As part of Mission's continued public outreach efforts, Charge will appear for a live television interview late October 5 focused on the Burmese situation. In other news, Pol/C thanked Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) contacts for the GOI's support for a formal UNSC meeting on October 5, arguing that the meeting should be followed by a strong Presidential Statement (PRST) condemning the regime. DEPLU contacts indicated that the GOI is still undecided about the utility of using the PRST mechanism. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) KEEPING UP THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT -- As part of Mission's vigorous outreach on Burma, the Charge will appear for a live television interview focused on the Burma situation on national network TVRI's prime-time English-language news program. Charge was interviewed earlier in the week on another channel regarding Burma (ref C). ¶3. (C) RUMBLINGS IN ASEAN -- Singapore DCM Lim Hong Huai told the Charge on October 5 that the period leading up to the ASEAN summit in November would be critical. If Burma made no progress toward reform, pressure would build for ASEAN to take stronger action. He explained that ASEAN members were beginning to discuss the status of Burma's membership although there was no rush to expel it from the organization (ref A). Lim also said Singapore, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair, would deliver a very strong message at the UNSC's formal meeting on Burma on October 5 (ref B). The Charge said a statement stressing Burma's destabilizing impact on the region would help make the case to Indonesia--which has been reluctant on the point--that the UNSC was the proper forum for discussing Burma. ¶4. (C) PRESSING DEPLU -- Pol/C raised the Burmese situation with Harry Purwanto, Director for North American Affairs at DEPLU, and Gudadi Bambang Sasongko, DEPLU's Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Pol/C thanked Indonesia for joining the UNSC consensus for a formal meeting and strongly argued for a strong Presidential Statement to be issued after that meeting (ref B). DEPLU contacts took the points on board. Key DEPLU multilateral affairs official Desra Percaya, in New York for UN meetings, and other senior GOI officials were currently reviewing the matter, they added. HEFFERN