DEFENSE COOPERATION -- AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002067 SIPDIS DEPT FOR D, P, EAP, L, PM, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP, EAP/MLS, L/T, L/DL, L/PM SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/APSA D.WALTON NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV ID SUBJECT: DEFENSE COOPERATION -- AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINDEF SUDARSONO REF: A. JAKARTA 1476 ¶B. JAKARTA 1354 JAKARTA 00002067 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a November 4 discussion with Defense Minister Sudarsono, the Ambassador laid out key U.S. goals for a bilateral defense cooperation agreement with Indonesia. The agreement should document current cooperation, build trust and provide a basis to expand cooperation. The USG wanted a nonbinding agreement between governments that did not require legislative approval on either side. Sudarsono said the proposed text was based on a general template used with other partners to promote "soft" forms of cooperation while preserving Indonesia's traditional non-alignment. Ambassador proposed a technical discussion to resolve minor issues in the Indonesian text. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY (Con'd): The Ambassador noted the GOI's important role in hosting next week's Chiefs of Defense Conference in Bali. The two also discussed regional security, with Sudarsono urging a "recalibrated" U.S. role in Southeast Asia. The Ambassador said the U.S. was committed to working with partners on the varied challenges facing the region in such areas as maritime security and disaster relief. END SUMMARY. DISCUSSING PROPOSED AGREEMENT ¶3. (C) The Ambassador and the Minister first discussed the proposed Defense Cooperation Agreement. The Ambassador thanked Sudarsono for the draft text that the GOI had provided to Mission. The USG was reviewing that text with a view to accepting as much of it as possible. (Note: Ref B provides the text; ref A provides Mission's assessment and recommendations.) ¶4. (C) The USG understood that the purpose of the agreement was to document current cooperation, build trust and provide a basis to expand cooperation in the future, the Ambassador said. The USG wanted an agreement that did not require legislative approval in either capital and assumed this was also what DEPHAN wanted. At the same time, the USG wanted a government-to-government agreement that had broader endorsement than a single department or ministry. The Ambassador proposed that Mission and GOI representatives meet soon for a technical discussion of the Indonesian text, with a view to producing an agreed text for both capitals to review. ¶5. (C) Sudarsono said the text provided to the United States was based on a standard template used with Indonesia's other strategic partners. Individual provisions varied depending on the content of each bilateral relationship, but the basic design was similar. Although some involved technological cooperation, most of them dealt primarily with "soft" aspects of defense cooperation. All were voluntary and based on mutual understanding. At the same time, they were not documents of "alliance." ¶6. (C) To reflect these considerations, Sudarsono preferred to call such agreements "cooperative activities in the area of defense" rather than "defense cooperation agreement" as such. Indonesia's constitution required that Indonesia maintain a "free and active" foreign policy, he explained, which meant eschewing alignment with any country or group of countries. Indonesia was in the process of concluding agreements with many countries in the region, including China (already signed) and Russia (slated for 2009). (Note: Ref B JAKARTA 00002067 002.2 OF 002 provides a list of existing and planned DCAs.) BALI MEETING ¶7. (U) The Ambassador thanked Sudarsono and the GOI for hosting the upcoming Chiefs of Defense (CHOD) Conference in Bali (November 11-14). Admiral Keating would be representing the U.S. and looked forward to meeting the MinDef. The Ambassador noted that he also planned to participate in the event. REGIONAL SECURITY ¶8. (C) The Ambassador noted that Indonesia's hosting of the conference reflected its importance in Southeast Asian security. Indonesia was a key partner in Asia for the United States and both needed to continue to work together. Regional security rested on a balance between bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The United States and Indonesia should consider what points they wanted to emphasize in strategic cooperation with the regional context in mind. ¶9. (C) Sudarsono urged the United States to "recalibrate" its role, relationships and security objectives in the region. The United States had guaranteed East Asia's security for over fifty years. Even China had benefited, Sudarsono noted. But East Asia had changed greatly since the 1950s, and the principles and arrangements established half a century ago needed to be updated. Indonesia understood that Southeast Asia was second in importance to China and Japan for the United States. But Southeast Asia was important as a link, particular for supplies of oil and gas flowing to those countries. ¶10. (C) In this recalibration of U.S. power, Sudarsono said, it also was important to consider all of its aspects: soft and hard, political, economic and military. The USG was extremely powerful in all respects and needed to balance the various expressions of that power for optimal effect. The Ambassador replied that the United States was committed to working with partners on challenges in such areas as maritime security and disaster relief, as well as new challenges related to the international economic situation and the environment. HUME