GOI STILL REVIEWING ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000783 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL/MLA, S/P, DRL; G (KCURRIE), NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2018 TAGS: PREL KDEM ID AS CA KS SUBJECT: GOI STILL REVIEWING ASIA-PACIFIC DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE REF: JAKARTA 588 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Indonesia is not yet ready to commit to the Asia-Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP) initiative, but is not entirely ruling out the possibility. Indonesia is focused for now more on its own Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) initiative. The BDF idea remains embryonic, but important to the GOI, which wants to show it is a leader in democracy in Asia. The GOI has also invited Australia to participate in the BDF. We think the USG should try to work with the GOI in order to develop the BDF idea further, while we continue to press for Indonesian participation in the APDP initiative. END SUMMARY. GOI: NOT YET ON BOARD ¶2. (C) Mission continues to touch base with the GOI regarding democracy initiatives. DepPol/C met on April 17 with Umar Hadi, Director for Public Diplomacy at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) and a close adviser to the Foreign Minister, to get further feedback on Indonesia's views of APDP (see reftels). Following the March 24 meeting with Hadi (reftel),Hadi had discussed the matter further in DEPLU. Hadi told us that based on feedback, Indonesia was not yet prepared to commit to participating in APDP because the GOI believes it is important for Indonesia to take the lead on regional democracy initiatives. He repeated concerns that such initiatives be led from within the region. DepPol/C reiterated our strong support for Indonesia's key role in promoting democracy in the region and our hope that it can be a bridge between APDP and BDF. ¶3. (SBU) Hadi explained that the BDF is one of four key international events Indonesia is planning this year for the hundred-year anniversary of the launch of the Indonesian nationalist movement in 1908. The events include: -- the BDF; -- the Global Inter-media Dialogue; -- the Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue; and, -- the World Cultural Forum. All of these inititives are designed to demonstrate Indonesia's world and regional leadership, Hadi said. MORE ON BDF ¶4. (C) The BDF idea remains a bit vague. As Hadi has said in the past, BDF would aim to promote democracy in Asia. Participation could include democratic and non-democratic regimes in the region, including Burma. The GOI plans to invite Australia to participate (the GOA might fund the initiative--see below),but it was not yet clear whether the USG would get an invitation. Hadi told us the GOI is now considering holding a preliminary BDF meeting at the technical level soon, inviting about 25 scholars worldwide to discuss the concept. This discussion might include how BDF meshes with APDP and other elements of the international architecture on democracy, he said. AUSTRALIANS, CANADIANS AND KOREANS CHIME IN ¶5. (C) We have spoken to other Embassies about the various initiatives. Australian Pol/C Justin Lee confirmed to us on April 15 that the GOA had agreed to help fund the first BDF meeting, provided that it likes the Indonesian concept paper, which is still being developed. Lee said, for example, that--in Australia's estimation--the Burmese government could be invited to participate in BDF provided that BDF is billed as a "meeting about democracy and not a meeting among JAKARTA 00000783 002 OF 002 democracies." ¶6. (C) Lee also told us that in his recent meeting with Hadi he encouraged the GOI to participate in APDP and also to involve the U.S. in the BDF. Separately, the Canadian and South Korean political counselors met with us on April 11 to discuss a joint strategy on APDP. Canada's Weldon Epp told us that he recently met with Hadi to lobby the GOI to participate in APDP, but Hadi said DEPLU remained reluctant. South Korean Pol/C Moon-hwan Kim said he has not discussed APDP with the GOI since last October. He said he would consider approaching the GOI again to encourage them to join APDP but is consulting with Seoul on this. NEXT STEPS ¶7. (C) The BDF idea clearly remains embryonic, but very important to the GOI. Indonesia is getting more active in the region and internationally, and wants to show it is a leader in democracy in Asia. We think the USG should try to work with the GOI in order to develop the BDF idea further. While we have not been invited to participate in BDF as of yet, we think that the Indonesians probably eventually would welcome our involvement. In the meantime, we could potentially leverage any engagement with the BDF idea to advance Indonesian participation in the APDP initiative. HUME