ADMIRAL KEATING'S MEETINGS WITH KEY GOI OFFICIALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 000749 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, T, PM, ISN, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, EAP/ANZ, EAP/CM SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP P.IPSEN JOINT STAFF FOR P.CLEMMONS NSC FOR E.PHU USPACOM FOR G.CHRISTY E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR MASS PGOV ID XB SUBJECT: ADMIRAL KEATING'S MEETINGS WITH KEY GOI OFFICIALS REF: A. JAKARTA 735 ¶B. JAKARTA 222 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: USPACOM Commander Admiral Keating met President Yudhoyono and key defense officials on April 10-11 in Jakarta. He stressed support for Indonesia's progress on military reform, the desire to expand cooperation further, and Indonesia's strategic importance. GOI officials expressed appreciation for U.S. assistance, and welcomed greater cooperation, particularly on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Admiral Keating reviewed U.S. views regarding China. DefMin Sudarsono pressed for a cessation of U.S. military training of Indonesian police forces. A discussion with leading defense and foreign policy experts will be reported septel. END SUMMARY. PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO ¶2. (C) USPACOM Commander Admiral Keating met with a wide variety of Indonesian officials during his April 9-11 visit to Jakarta. President Yudhoyono was pleased with progress in the bilateral relationship, including military-to-military relations. The lifting of sanctions in 2005 had opened a new chapter, with the resumption of cooperation. International Military Education and Training (IMET) allowed Indonesian officers to learn not only about military strategy and tactics but also about democracy and Western values. There was much Indonesia could learn from the United States. Yudhoyono said Indonesia was grateful for U.S. counterterrorism assistance, including the training of police, prosecutors and judges. The coastal surveillance system being established in the Malacca Strait and Sulawesi Sea with U.S. assistance would help the Indonesian Navy to control these important waterways. ¶3. (C) Keating agreed that the relationship was progressing well, including as regards mil-mil relations. USPACOM was grateful for the opportunity to work together with Indonesia again and would continue to explore new areas of cooperation. He stressed that there was potential for doing much more, including in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security and counterterrorism. Indonesia was important to the United States given its strategic location. The United States supported Indonesia's military reforms and wanted to help build its capabilities. ¶4. (C) Yudhoyono said one of Indonesia's contributions to the joint effort against terrorism was to counter extremism. Indonesian religious and community leaders were promoting moderation and discouraging radicalism. Indonesia was also joining in the international effort to fight transnational crime and other non-traditional security threats. Indonesia would look for new opportunities to cooperate. Keating said the United States appreciated these contributions. It was also important to block terrorist financing. The sharing of information and intelligence was crucial in all of these endeavors. ¶5. (C) Yudhoyono said Indonesia continued to provide peacekeepers to UN missions, including stabilization police for Darfur and a third rotation of troops for UNIFIL in Lebanon. Yudhoyono was pleased to see that the recent summit of the Organization of the Islamic conference (OIC) in Senegal had promoted the principle of peaceful resolution of problems. Indonesia wanted to be a model for an Islam that was peaceful and democratic. Keating said the United States saluted Indonesia's efforts in this area. JAKARTA 00000749 002 OF 004 ¶6. (C) Keating expressed "cautious optimism" that North Korea would eventually proceed with dismantlement of its nuclear facilities and an end to its nuclear program. Much work remained to be done, however. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait remained a major concern, but the recent Taiwan elections had not triggered any problems. So far, China had not shared with the U.S. its intentions regarding the growth of its military and defense capabilities. A U.S.-China hotline connection had recently been activated, but China was still relatively uncommunicative. ¶7. (C) Yudhoyono said a new balance of power was needed in the region. Indonesia was very concerned about the South China Sea, where competing claims to the Paracel and Spratley Islands remained unresolved. Indonesia was watching China's growing economic and military might, uncertain about its implications. China was hungry for oil and other resources, and the South China Sea could become a flashpoint. Both Taiwan and South Korea had recently elected pragmatic administrations which were more friendly toward China, and China might be able to smooth the difficult relations between North and South Korea. All of these developments would affect ASEAN. On the other hand, an expanded ASEAN influence could help maintain stability in the region. Keating noted that USPACOM's Theater Security Cooperation program sought to develop good relations with many countries in the region. Strong bilateral cooperation could lead not just to greater multilateral cooperation, but also to concrete collaboration. Yudhoyono responded that it was imperative to solve problems in the region collectively. MINDEF SUDARSONO ¶8. (C) Sudarsono said Indonesia was the largest country in Southeast Asia but had the most underfunded military. At $3.5 billion, the official budget for 2008 met only 40 percent of the military's basic needs. Meanwhile the country lost billions of dollars a year from illicit trade and other activities which the military was unable to stop because it lacked the resources to do so. The majority of the world's trade flowed through Indonesian waters. Indonesia's biggest problem was the inability of its military to enforce Indonesian sovereignty. ¶9. (C) U.S. assistance in establishing this capability was welcome, Sudarsono said. Current U.S. support was much appreciated and was appropriate, given the current political sentiment in Washington. Indonesia remained on a graduated course toward military reform and supported civilian control of the military. Keating said the United States appreciated Indonesia's efforts to provide security in its waters and remained committed to helping Indonesia provide that security. The United States respected Indonesia's sovereignty, he emphasized. Sudarsono remarked that it was important to respect Indonesia's sovereignty not just in a purely legal sense but in a political sense, too. ¶10. (C) In recent talks with Australia, Sudarsono noted, Indonesia and Australia had agreed that the United States would remain the dominant power in the region, but might delegate some of its authority in Northeast Asia. Australia would continue to help in capacity building and perhaps could do more. Keating said the United States wanted to strengthen bilateral relationships with a view to weaving those into a stronger regional peace and security fabric. Mutual appreciation of the challenges and joint cooperation on the multilateral level was important for the future. China was the one country in the region with which the United States JAKARTA 00000749 003 OF 004 did not have the kind of working military relationship it wanted. Washington was working hard to establish one, and eventually would succeed. Indonesia could help by encouraging Chinese engagement, Keating noted. ¶11. (C) Keating said USPACOM was eager to help Indonesia to build a continuing cadre of non-commissioned officers, and would continue to offer a robust educational program for majors and lieutenant colonels under International Military Education and Training (IMET). The U.S. Congress had some concerns, however, PACOM's goal was to extend training and exercises to all elements of Indonesia's Armed Forces eventually. Keating described Indonesia's participation in the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) program as impressive, with a high graduation rate. Together, these programs helped build relationships, which were important for understanding and cooperation. Humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and peacekeeping were promising fields for operational cooperation. MILITARY TRAINING FOR INDONESIAN POLICE ¶12. (C) Sudarsono expressed reservations about training of the Indonesian police by U.S. special military forces and asked that such training be transferred to non-military providers. Sudarsono noted that this training had been under way for some time but that Indonesia regarded it as inconsistent with civilian rule and the separation of the Indonesian national police from the military as part of general military reforms. In this context, military forces should train military forces, he emphasized; it was inappropriate for military forces to train the police. (Note: Secretary General Imron Cotan of the Department of Foreign Affairs had made a similar point to Ambassador Hume in a meeting on April 10, REF A.) The legislature (DPR) had asked for an explanation of such training as well. Keating noted that a Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) was under way with the maritime police to provide training on patrol boats recently provided by U.S. Department of Justice assistance. Keating promised to look into the matter. PANGLIMA SANTOSO ¶13. (C) Santoso thanked Keating for the opportunity to co-host the Chiefs of Defense (CHOD) Conference in Indonesia (November 2008). Indonesia was grateful for USPACOM's assistance after the 2004 tsunami and the 2006 Yogjakarta earthquake. Santoso recounted his positive meetings with U.S. defense leaders in Hawaii in 2006 and in Australia in 2007 (detailed previously in REF B). ¶14. (C) Keating said Indonesia was in a strategic position and its troops were well trained. All other countries in the region recommended increased cooperation with the Indonesian military, including personnel exchanges and education, including NCOs. PACOM wanted to offer more education and training for mid-level officers. Theater Security Cooperation now included 136 substantive events in 2008, and the quality of the events was rising every year. The decision not to proceed with the Joint Combined Exchange Training with the Indonesian Army Special Forces (KOPASSUS) in April was a disappointing setback, but PACOM would continue to work with Congress to seek opportunities in the future. ¶15. (C) Santoso said he was aware of the situation regarding the cancellation of the JCET with KOPASSUS. The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) was looking forward to strategic defense diQussions in Washington the following week, where MG JAKARTA 00000749 004 OF 004 Zamroni would head the TNI delegation. Santoso said the TNI worked for the government and people of Indonesia and conducted its activities within the government's policy framework. The TNI would continue its effort to combat terrorism within the scope of Indonesian law. The TNI appreciated U.S. efforts to develop Indonesia's maritime capabilities and secure its waterways. ¶16. (C) Santoso said the TNI continued to reform: the TNI was out of politics and subject to civilian authority, was withdrawing from business operations, was subject to civilian justice, continued to professionalize its officer corps, and was trying to improve the welfare of its personnel. The Indonesian people had a good understanding of democracy and had made great progress since the days of authoritarian rule. Indonesia was confident of attaining its democratic goals ¶17. (C) Keating said the U.S. military understood the magnitude of Indonesia's progress and applauded it. Solidifying these gains, he emphasized, would help win support in the United States. Washington was cognizant of Indonesia's generous contributions to peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and elsewhere and fully supported these efforts. ¶18. (U) Admiral Keating has approved this message. HUME