BURMA REFERENDUM -- U.S./INDONESIA ON THE SAME

1. (C) SUMMARY: Pol/C reviewed Ref A points with a contact
at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) on March 14.
Pol/C stressed the importance of ASEAN and Indonesia pressing
the regime on its proposed referendum and election. DEPLU
said it shared U.S. concerns, noting that it had made these
points to the Burmese regime. In the meantime, UN S/E
Gambari met President Yudhoyono on the margins of the OIC
Summit. END SUMMARY.



2. (C) KEEP UP THE PRESSURE: Pol/C delivered reftel
demarche to Gudadi Sasongko, Deputy Director for East Asia
and Pacific Affairs at DEPLU, on March 14. He underscored
the need for Indonesia to continue to press the regime in
Burma to adhere to internationally recognized standards for
free and fair elections, highlighting the following key
points:

--The UN Security Council will need to take action against
the regime in response to its poor handling of Special Envoy
Gambari's visit earlier this month;
--The U.S. requests the GOI's thoughts on next steps
regarding the Gambari visit;
--The U.S. has serious concerns over the refusal of the
Burmese regime to allow opposition, religious, and ethnic
minority groups to participate in the political process; and,
--A constitutional referendum not viewed as free and fair
will only lead to greater instability in Burma.



3. (C) INDONESIA ON BOARD: Sasongko said the GOI fully
shared U.S. concerns re the Burma referendum, etc. He added
that President Yudhoyono had already delivered a similar
message in a letter to Burmese strongman Than Shwe but had
yet to receive a reply (see Ref B). The GOI planned to
continue to make these points and to support Gambari's
efforts.



4. (U) YUDHOYONO ENGAGED: President Yudhoyono met with UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Envoy on Burma,

SIPDIS
Ibrahim Gambari, on the margins the Organization of Islamic
Conference meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on March 13. Media
sources reported that Gambari briefed Yudhoyono on his recent
visit to Burma and his ideas re next steps.

HUME