KUWAITI AMBASSADOR WELCOMES INDONESIAN ACTION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000851 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL ID SUBJECT: KUWAITI AMBASSADOR WELCOMES INDONESIAN ACTION ON MIDEAST Classified By: Charge d'Affaires John A. Heffern, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) Summary. CDA met Kuwaiti Ambassador Mohammad Fadel Khalaf on March 20 to discuss Indonesia's Middle East initiatives. The Kuwaiti Ambassador has encouraged Indonesian activism on the Middle East. On Iran, Khalaf said the GOK had raised its concerns about Iran's nuclear program repeatedly, but the Indonesians have declined to engage. The GOI will only say that while it is opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons, the GOI is interested in developing its own nuclear energy program. On Indonesia's "triple track" proposal for Iraq, Khalaf advised the GOI that it would be difficult to get Muslim nations to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq, especially since the Arabs and Pakistanis are not neutral. Although Khalaf says the Arabs do not take Indonesian mediation efforts seriously, he personally would like to give the Indonesians a chance because "they have a tolerant Islam that we don't have in the region." End Summary. ¶2. (C) CDA called on Kuwaiti Ambassador Mohammad Fadel Khalaf on March 20 to discuss, among other issues, Indonesian initiatives to help resolve various Middle East crises. Khalaf, who has been in Jakarta for three and half years, told us that he had been pushing the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to become more active on this front. In a discussion with Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Khalaf counseled the Indonesians to fight their "shy" and "Javanese" (read reserved, non-confrontational and non-committal) instincts and "be confident" on the Council. Further, he advised, the Indonesians "should not be intimidated by the Arabs." Iran -------------- ¶3. (C) The CDA asked if Khalaf had spoken to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) about Iran. The Ambassador said he pushed SBY to have a frank discussion with the Kuwaiti Emir during SBY's visit to Kuwait last summer. However, he lamented, the bilateral meeting was largely unsubstantial. One problem was with the interpretation, which he called poor. But the largest barrier was SBY's reluctance to engage on the topic. Although Khalaf said the Kuwaitis repeatedly tried to raise the Iranian nuclear situation (as well as the Palestinian crisis),SBY would only say that the Indonesians shared the Kuwaitis' opinion, without further comment. Khalaf said he was personally disappointed and embarrassed, having encouraged his government to broach the topic with the Indonesians. ¶4. (C) According to Khalaf, he and other GCC ambassadors have raised their concerns about the Iranian nuclear program on multiple occasions with the Indonesians, including worries about nuclear waste polluting the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait's source of drinking water. "But when we go there, they keep quiet," he complained, adding that the Indonesians often pretend not to understand or instead change the subject. When they do respond directly, the GOI says that while it is opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons, the GOI is interested in developing its own nuclear energy program. In Khalaf's opinion, the "flourishing" Indonesian-Iranian relationship is based more on economic interests (especially gas and oil) than anything political. ¶5. (C) The CDA indicated that this was a crucial week for the pending Iran UNSCR, and he asked the Ambassador to do anything that he could to encourage Indonesian support for the resolution. Khalaf agreed to do so. "Triple-Track" Proposal for Iraq -------------- ¶6. (C) On Indonesia's "triple track" proposal for Iraq, Khalaf said he has advised Wirajuda that it would be difficult to get Muslim nations to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq, especially since the Arabs and Pakistanis are not neutral. Khalaf told us he had asked Wirajuda who the Indonesians were looking to as partners. Wirajuda mentioned the Tunisians, but the Tunisian ambassador told Khalaf he had no recollection of any such discussion. CDA briefed Khalaf on our discussions with the GOI on the proposal, noting that although we welcome it in principle, the proposal has not been clearly defined. He added that the troop contribution part of the plan seems to have been dropped by the Indonesians. JAKARTA 00000851 002 OF 002 Prospects for Success -------------- ¶7. (C) As the most populous Muslim country, Khalaf said, Indonesia wants to be helpful in the Middle East. However, the Arabs are not encouraging them because they do not take the Indonesians seriously, questioning how the Indonesians can succeed where the Egyptians and Saudis have already failed. Khalaf stressed that this was not his personal view. For his part, he would like to give the Indonesians a chance because "they have a tolerant Islam that we don't have in the region." Indonesian Islam is different, he commented. "It is Sunni, but it is open." He also thinks that because mass organizations like Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) follow some Shi'a traditions, they can be helpful in bridging the Sunni-Shi'a divide. HEFFERN