DARFUR -- INDONESIAN PEACEKEEPERS GET GREEN LIGHT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000146 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, IO, IO/UNP, AF, AF/SPG SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP - P. IPSEN NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR KPKO PGOV ID SU SUBJECT: DARFUR -- INDONESIAN PEACEKEEPERS GET GREEN LIGHT FOR MISSION REF: A. 07 JAKARTA 3410 ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3267 ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 2798 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Indonesia is preparing to send a unit made up of approximately 150 police officers to support UNAMID operations in Darfur. The vast majority of the force will come from the Mobile Brigade, the police special forces command. The planned deployment--slated to take place in March--underscores the GOI's continued readiness to contribute substantially to international peacekeeping efforts. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) MOVING TOWARD DEPLOYMENT: Indonesia is preparing to send peacekeepers to Darfur. The Indonesian National Police (INP) have been anticipating deployment in support of UNAMID since July 2007, in response to a United Nations request. The unit was ready to deploy to the Darfur region in November, but the GOI postponed the mission when African Union troops were attacked in an October incident (ref C). In December, Indonesian President Yudhoyono and INP Chief Sutanto decided to put preparations on hold pending annual budget discussions (ref A). ¶3. (C) With funds now available and the situation in Sudan apparently more stable, Indonesian preparations have resumed for the planned deployment. Indonesian police and other GOI contacts have told us that--if all goes as anticipated--the deployment will take place in March. Fikry Cassidy, Deputy Director of Disarmament and International Security Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs, told POLOFF on January 24 that Yudhoyono and Police Chief Sutanto would be meeting shortly in order to sign the training and deployment orders. Despite some difficulties with Sudan regarding UN landing rights, Fikry said, the Sudanese government had given no indication that Indonesian troops were not welcome. Police contacts told DOJ/ICITAP Director that the Sudanese Ambassador to Indonesia had met with Indonesian police officials to discuss the deployment on January 23. ¶4. (SBU) MOBILE BRIGADE CORE: The vast majority of the unit's troops--as well as its commander--are members of the Mobile Brigade, the Indonesian police special forces unit. Some of the troops have already completed training at the Center of Excellence for Stabilization Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, Italy, which is supported, in part, by the U.S. The unit began a four-week training program in Indonesia on January 23. According to Major General Wenas, the commander of the Mobile Brigade, the training will consist of three weeks of classroom instruction and table-top exercises in Jakarta, and a week of tactical and field training at Mobile Brigade facilities at Cikeas, near the town of Bogor south of Jakarta. ¶5. (SBU) In Darfur, the unit will be under the commander of United Nations forces and will serve a one-year tour of duty. Cassidy noted that the police had initially identified 432 officers for possible deployment to UNAMID, so it was possible that additional troops might be sent in the future. ¶6. (C) INDONESIA AS GOOD WORLD CITIZEN: The planned deployment of Indonesian police to Darfur underscores Indonesia's readiness to contribute substantially to international peacekeeping efforts (ref B). The participation of a battalion of Indonesian peacekeepers in UNIFIL in Lebanon is already in its second year. In addition to the main mission, these operations provide valuable professional experience to the Indonesian police and military. And, by all accounts, Indonesians have proven to JAKARTA 00000146 002 OF 002 be adept peacekeepers, including--for example--in Lebanon. HUME