IRAN -- FLURRY OF INDONESIAN TRAVEL TO TEHRAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003225 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, NEA, NEA/IR, NEA/IPA NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MNUC ID IR XF SUBJECT: IRAN -- FLURRY OF INDONESIAN TRAVEL TO TEHRAN REF: A. JAKARTA 3166 ¶B. JAKARTA 2549 ¶C. JAKARTA 1919 JAKARTA 00003225 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: President Yudhoyono reportedly intends to travel to Tehran in December, apparently in lieu of Vice President Kalla's canceled Iran visit. Parliamentary Speaker Laksono is currently in Tehran under the auspices of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA). Parliamentarian Ade Nasution--a close Mission contact--just returned from a fact-finding trip to Tehran with four other Indonesian legislators. Mission held a successful DVC with UNVIE Ambassador Schulte, who reviewed international concerns about the Iranian nuclear program. The spate of trips is not unusual, although the rumored Yudhoyono visit--if it takes place--will be his first to Iran. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) SBY TO IRAN?: Mission is hearing reports that President Yudhoyono plans to travel to Iran in December. According to Ade Nasution--a parliamentarian from the conservative Islamic Reform Star Party (PBR)--Yudhoyono will travel to Tehran December 4-5. (Note: We question the accuracy of these dates; we had heard that SBY would be in Bali for the UN climate change conference at that time.) Nasution told poloff the trip would help the President inoculate himself against charges of doing U.S. bidding on Iran regarding its nuclear program. (Note: Indonesia's vote earlier this year in favor of UNSCR 1747 created a tremendous domestic political backlash against SBY, particularly in parliament. Kalla had to cancel his planned November visit due to illness.) ¶3. (C) SPEAKER IN TEHRAN: Meanwhile, Speaker Agung Laksono is on a long visit to Iran. Laksono's assistant Arief Budiman told poloff that the Speaker's November 18-24 trip was nominally scheduled to allow for the Speaker's participation in the APA (Iran is hosting it this year). ¶4. (S) According to Budiman (please protect throughout), however, the real purpose of the Speaker's trip was to talk to the Iranian regime about how best to handle any upcoming UNSC Iran votes. (Note: Laksono led the charge against SBY in the wake of the GOI's UNSCR Iran vote.) Budiman said the Speaker planned to work with the Iranian regime to try to devise a strategy that would compel President Yudhoyono to vote against future Iran-related UNSCR resolutions. (Note: Budiman has previously reported that Laskono received unspecified business guarantees from Tehran in exchange for his assistance securing Indonesian support in the UN -- see Ref C.) Poloff strongly underscored international concerns about Iran's nuclear program and urged Budiman to press the Speaker to push Iran to meet its obligations. ¶5. (S) BACK FROM IRAN: In a November 19 meeting with CDA and poloff, parliamentarian Ade Nasution reported on his recent four-day trip to Tehran with four colleagues. Nasution said he financed the visit himself. The trip involved meetings with the Iranian parliamentary Speaker, senior Iranian foreign ministry officials, and a trip to a military exhibition. (Note: Nasution allowed the CDA to borrow a thick catalogue produced by the Iranian Defense Industries Organization listing Iranian weaponry for sale; the DATT's office is currently reviewing the pamphlet.) Nasution said when he questioned Iran's nuclear intentions, he was repeatedly assured that Iran was pursuing nuclear power for "peaceful purposes only." ¶6. (U) A SUCCESSFUL DVC: On November 20, Mission hosted a very successful DVC with UNVIE Ambassador Schulte. Ambassador Schulte discussed the recent IAEA report re Iran's nuclear program with eight journalists and two foreign JAKARTA 00003225 002.2 OF 002 ministry representatives and underscored that Iranian compliance had been selective and incomplete. Ambassador Schulte further reviewed the Iranian regime's obligations under UNSCR 1747 and its continued refusal to comply. Local press coverage of the event has been favorable. ¶7. (C) CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT: The spate of trips is not unusual, although the apparent Yudhoyono trip would be a new development which Mission is trying to confirm. (Note: Queries to foreign policy spokesman Dino Djalal have gone unanswered.) If Yudhoyono traveled to Iran, it would be his first visit there since assuming office in 2004. A Yudhoyono visit might also represent an effort to take the spotlight on Middle East issues away from Vice President Kalla--a political adversary of the president's--who represented the Indonesian government at the recent OPEC meeting in Saudi Arabia. Despite Mission efforts to convince him otherwise on the Iran issue, Speaker Laksono seems to be up to his old tricks and coddling the Iranian regime. HEFFERN