NPT PREPCOM PAPERS -- INDONESIAN RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000870

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, T, PM, ISN, VCI, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2018
TAGS: PARM KNNP NPT IAEA ID
SUBJECT: NPT PREPCOM PAPERS -- INDONESIAN RESPONSE

REF: A. SECSTATE 43044

B. JAKARTA 0839

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff on April 29 discussed the two U.S.
papers (ref A) for the NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting with
GOI contact. Poloff encouraged the GOI to consider
co-sponsoring one or both of the papers. Our GOI contact did
not indicate Indonesian support for either paper but listened
to the USG points with interest and responded at some length.
Indonesia had no plans to present a paper but would raise
disarmament-related issues during the discussions, he said.
END SUMMARY.

EXPANDING CIVIL NUCLEAR COOPERATION


2. (C) Regarding the paper on expanding international civil
nuclear cooperation, Andy Rachmianto, Deputy Director for
International Security and Disarmament at the Department of
Foreign Affairs said this matter had been intensively
discussed at the recent International Conference on the
Nuclear Fuel Cycle in Berlin, which he had attended. Poloff
noted that Indonesia had in the past expressed support for a
multilateral fuel cycle arrangement as one of the keys to
resolving the Iran nuclear issue,


3. (C) Rachmianto said there had been extensive discussion
in Berlin of what "multilateral" might entail. Noting that
Indonesia had plans to develop peaceful nuclear energy and
would in the future be interested in a reliable supply of
fuel for its facilities, Rachmianto said Indonesia at this
point preferred to rey( on market mechanisms rather than a
special arrnngement. The third option, he added, was for a
o*untry to enrich fuel itself.

DEALING WITH NPT WITHDRAWAL


4. (C) Rachmianto suggested that, thoggh not identified by
name, North Korea was the im(ediate catalyst for the paper re
NPT withdrawal with prospective Iranian withdrawal a
possible e cond. He pointed out that, in addition to Article
X of the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT),the Vienaa Convention
on the Law of Treaties also guarante d the sovereign right of
a country to withdraw rrom treaties. Consistent with the
arguments in h(e U.S. paper, the Vienna Convention likewise
specified that withdrawal did not absolve a state of tee
obligation to fulfil its former commitments asa party to the
treaty.


5. (C) Rachmianto agreed that enforcement of those
commitments was a po*blem and that a mechanism for this was
needed. Although referral to the UN Security Council was on
of the few recourses available, he said, the UNCQ was not
part of the NPT process. It was imporaant to strengthen and
support the NPT process asm(uch as possible. Therefore, a
better first step might be to convene an extraordinary
meeting of NPT parties to decide how to respond. This would
allow all affected parties to address the issue and work out
a common strategy. That meeting could then decide, after
consideration, to refer the matter to the UNSC.

OTHER ISSUES


6. (C) Indonesia had no plans to present a paper at the
Prepcom, Rachmianto said, but did have other concerns which
it would want to discuss. These included the future of the
START-I Treaty, Article VI of the NPT regarding Disarmament
and the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT). Indonesia's view was that these steps were
overdue and hinged largely on action by the United States.
(Note: The first two relate to Indonesia's standing advocacy
of disarmament; the CTBT awaits U.S. ratification.)

HUME