AVIAN INFLUENZA: SINGAPORE BELIEVES WHO DIRECTOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001374 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG, L/DL, EAP/EX, AND OES/IHA USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH DEPT ALSO PASS TO DOJ FOR OFL GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM USDA/APHIS ANNELLI E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2018 TAGS: TBIO EAGR AMGT PGOV KLIG ID SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: SINGAPORE BELIEVES WHO DIRECTOR GENERAL SHOULD CRITICIZE INDONESIAN VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS REF: A. JAKARTA 1257 ¶B. JAKARTA 1189 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron Hume for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Singaporean Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and World Health Organization Executive Board Member Balaji Sadasivan told Ambassador Hume that WHO Director General Margaret Chan and Director for Communicable Diseases David Heyman should have criticized Indonesia after Minister of Health Sidi Supari said that Indonesia would no longer immediately notify the WHO of avian influenza cases in violation of the International Health Regulations. Sadasivan said that Heyman had told him that he believed that the U.S. would not support any criticism of Indonesia on this issue. He also asked why the U.S. did not publicly criticize Indonesia. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Hume responded that the U.S. also believed that it was the responsibility of the WHO Director General to criticize violations of regulations agreed within the WHO framework. He added that direct criticism by the U.S. of Indonesia would only serve to bilateralize the issue and increase Minister Supari's domestic stature. Sadasivan asked whether he could tell Director General Chan that the U.S. would support her if she criticized Indonesia and the Ambassador responded positively. HUME