IRAN/BURMA -- GERMAN FM PRESSES INDONESIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000421 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS (COPE),EUR, EUR/AGS, EUR/ERA, NEA, NEA/IR, IO, IO/UNP NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP ID BM GM SUBJECT: IRAN/BURMA -- GERMAN FM PRESSES INDONESIA REF: A. JAKARTA 401 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. JAKARTA 400 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: German FM Steinmeier visited Jakarta February 26-28 and pressed the GOI on Iran's nuclear program and on Burma. Indonesian FM Wirajuda said publicly that the Burmese opposition and ethnic minority groups should participate in the upcoming referendum. Wirajuda also said that Iran still had not complied with UNSC demands that it halt all enrichment activities, but he remarked that the GOI was not certain that another resolution was the right step. He broached the possibility of a multilateral enrichment arrangement to meet Iran's nuclear fuel needs. END SUMMARY. IN JAKARTA ¶2. (U) During his visit to Jakarta, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met President Yudhoyono, Foreign Minister Wirajuda and ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan. Steinmeier also toured a number of German-supported development projects. BURMA -- INDONESIA TAKES A STAND ¶3. (U) Speaking at a joint press availability with FM Wirajuda on February 27, FM Steinmeier said EU members remained deeply concerned about the situation in Burma. He urged Indonesia and other countries in the region to press for democratic reform there. Steinmeier also voiced German and EU support for UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari's efforts on Burma. ¶4. (U) FM Wirajuda responded that Indonesia believed that all members of the Burmese opposition--including Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD)--must be allowed to participate in the upcoming constitutional referendum and elections. He also said the regime must also allow representatives of ethnic minority groups to participate. Wirajuda echoed Steinmeier's comments re Gambari's vital role. ¶5. (C) Gudadi Sasongko, Deputy Director for East Asian Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU), elaborated further on the Burma discussion. According to Sasongko, FM Wirajuda told FM Steinmeier that Indonesia looked at reform in Burma in terms of both procedure and substance. While the regime's timetable for elections was an important step on the procedural front, the generals had yet to address Indonesia's substantive concerns. Specifically, Sasongko related, FM Wirajuda told FM Steinmeier that the referendum and subsequent elections must include all stakeholders in Burma, must be conducted transparently and must meet international standards of legitimacy. ¶6. (C) At present, however, Indonesia did not have a specific plan to press the regime to meet those requirements, Sasongko said. (Note: Indonesia is currently considering a number of new policy approaches to Burma although it is unclear how these various proposals relate to each other. Ref a.) Indonesia believed that UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari would press the regime on these issues. Indonesian officials would consider their own next steps after Gambari's next visit to Burma, currently slated for early March. IRAN ¶7. (C) Pointing to the recent IAEA Director General's report, FM Steinmeier underscored that Iran continued to defy its international nonproliferation obligations, according to a German Embassy contact. FM Steinmeier urged Indonesia to support the UNSC resolution currently under discussion in New York and said it was the best way for the international community to compel Iran to meet its obligations. ¶8. (C) FM Wirajuda responded that Indonesia agreed that Iran had still not complied with UNSCRs 1737 and 1747. JAKARTA 00000421 002 OF 002 Nevertheless, Indonesia was not convinced that another resolution was the best course of action at this time. Under the NPT, Wirajuda argued, Iran did have the right to a peaceful nuclear program. He suggested that the international community be more creative in finding ways to facilitate Iran's legitimate demand for nuclear energy while addressing proliferation concerns. Specifically, Indonesia was considering supporting a multilateral arrangement to provide Iran with low-enriched nuclear fuel from third countries (ref b). ¶9. (C) Wirajuda reportedly also pointed to the recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) as documenting that Iran had halted its weapons development program. Wirajuda believed this conclusion diminished the need for another resolution. Steinmeier countered that the recent IAEA report demonstrated that Iran still had not accounted for all its past nuclear weapons development activities. Further, Iran's current enrichment activities--in contrast to past weapons programs--were the primary reason for a new UNSC resolution. ¶10. (C) According to the German Embassy, Steinmeier's meeting with President Yudhoyono did not include discussion of either Iran or Burma. Instead, the meeting focused on energy, the environment and development. (Note: Mission will report septel any significant developments on these latter issues.) HUME