BURMA -- INDONESIA LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002956 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS (COPE),IO, IO/UNP (WICKBERG) NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ID BM SUBJECT: BURMA -- INDONESIA LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT GAMBARI'S MISSION REF: A. STATE 146862 ¶B. JAKARTA 2946 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On October 22, the Ambassador briefed Secretary General Cotan on the USG's expanded sanctions on SIPDIS Burma and urged the Indonesian government to maintain pressure on the Burmese regime. Indonesia remains frustrated with the lack of progress in Burma, but does not have a clear vision of what to do next, apart from supporting UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari's mission. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) UPDATING GOI: Ambassador Hume delivered Ref A demarche October 22 to Secretary General Imron Cotan, the second highest-ranking official at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU). The Ambassador explained that the USG viewed sanctions as a key tool to compel the Burmese regime to cooperate with Special Envoy Gambari, begin a dialogue with the democratic opposition and undertake democratic reforms. He urged Indonesia to look for ways to help press the Burmese regime to move in the right direction. ¶3. (C) INDONESIA FRUSTRATED: Echoing other Indonesian officials we have spoken with recently, SecGen Cotan said Indonesia agreed it was necessary to press the regime, but said ASEAN members had not reached a consensus on how to proceed. ASEAN did not want Burma to be a liability to the organization and had frequently criticized the regime's actions in private to Burmese representatives. Cotan suggested that the Burmese regime was "overconfident" because it believed China and Russia would block any strong UN action. Convincing these two countries to pressure the regime would be critical to success, according to Cotan. ¶4. (C) ALL EYES ON GAMBARI: The Ambassador asked about the possibility of appointing a senior-level ASEAN envoy on Burma to coordinate with Gambari. Without dismissing the idea, Cotan replied that Indonesia saw Gambari as the "point man" on the issue and would focus its efforts on supporting his mission. However, Gambari could only be effective if he were supported by countries powerful enough to compel Burmese action. Toward that end, Cotan suggested that an ad hoc group of countries -- China, Japan, India and several key ASEAN members -- could assist Gambari. The purpose of the group would be to coordinate pressure on the regime to admit Gambari as soon as possible and allow him free access to all interlocutors in Burma. The Ambassador agreed that a support group, like the idea recently discussed at the UN, could be an effective mechanism for coordinating pressure on the regime. He cautioned that any steps should be designed to support Gambari's mission. HUME