AUSTRALIA TO PARTICIPATE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000423 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DRL FOR CHRISTOPHER CAMPONOVO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA TO PARTICIPATE IN ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY PARTNERSHIP LAUNCH REF: A) CANBERRA 298 B) STATE 39596 ¶1. (SBU) POLOFF met April 28 with Evan Gallagher and Nicole Forrester of the International Organizations Branch, and Berenice Owens-Jones of the United States Political and Strategic Section, of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to present USG responses to the questions posed by Australia in ref A and to discuss further the Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP) nonpaper. Gallagher, who is the action officer on the APDP, said DFAT had briefed Foreign Minister Smith on the APDP last week and he had approved Australian participation in the upcoming meetings. ¶2. (SBU) In discussing the inclusion of new members of the APDP (ref B),Gallagher suggested that Singapore should be invited to join. He said that Australia was working to convince the Indonesians to include the United States as a member of the Bali Democracy Forum. Indonesia was looking at June or July for an officials-level meeting. In terms of a possible venue for an official or "hard launch" of the APDP, Gallagher had no concrete suggestions but noted that a meeting at the ARF would compete with the Bali Democracy Forum, and would risk "putting China offside." MCCALLUM