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