ANNAPOLIS PROCESS -- JAKARTA POSTPONES CAPACITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000518 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MLS, EAP/MTS, NEA, NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2018 TAGS: PREL ID SF XF SUBJECT: ANNAPOLIS PROCESS -- JAKARTA POSTPONES CAPACITY BUILDING CONFERENCE REF: 07 JAKARTA 3436 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (U) Indonesian officials have announced that the "Africa-Asia Capacity Building Conference for Palestine" (reftel),which notionally had been slated to take place in Jakarta in late March or early April 2008, will be postponed. The conference, which Indonesia is organizing with South Africa, will now likely take place in May or June 2008 at the earliest. ¶2. (C) Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) officials told POLOFF that the ongoing unrest in Gaza was one reason for the postponement. Administrative difficulties and a lack of agreement on the conference agenda also contributed to the delay. Indonesian officials are also unsure how the conference will relate to other efforts, particularly the EU-led Paris conference on assistance to the Palestinian Authority. DEPLU officials expect President Yudhoyono to discuss conference planning with South African President Mbeki when he visits the RSA following the OIC Summit in Dakar, Senegal. The two governments had agreed to hold the conference as a way to support the Annapolis process. HUME