COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP -- MOVING FORWARD ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001017 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, OES, DRL NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2019 TAGS: PREL AMED EAID KDEM ID BM SUBJECT: COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP -- MOVING FORWARD ON NAMRU AND OTHER KEY ISSUES REF: A. JAKARTA 1011 ¶B. STATE 60588 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Walter E. North, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) wants to move forward on the key bilateral initiatives that the Secretary recently discussed with FM Wirajuda, according to Ambassador Retno Marsudi, DEPLU's senior-most official responsible for U.S. affairs. Ambassador Marsudi wants to help break the impasse over NAMRU visas as part of deepening our bilateral health cooperation. To do this, we must begin a steady dialogue about possible new health cooperation initiatives. The GOI is also keen to move forward on the Peace Corps, an Overseas Private Investment Corporation agreement, the Bali Democracy Forum and an interfaith dialogue. Charge reiterated the Secretary's message re Burma and urged Indonesia to issue a statement on Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday. END SUMMARY NAMRU: "HELP US TO HELP YOU" ¶2. (C) Charge and A/DCM met Ambassador Retno Marsudi, Director General for American and European Affairs at DEPLU on June 16 to review progress on key initiatives the Secretary recently discussed with FM Wirajuda (see Ref B). Charge reiterated the Secretary's message that the United States wanted to explore deepening our health cooperation with Indonesia. One element of that cooperation is the possible establishment of a joint medical research institute, which would include a joint research laboratory. However, this initiative would not be possible if the GOI forced NAMRU's closure by refusing to renew the visas of NAMRU staff. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Marsudi said that DEPLU wanted to find a way out of the NAMRU visa impasse. She urged the USG to "help us help you" by finding ways to show progress in health-related discussions. She noted FM Wirajuda's request that the Secretary send a team to Jakarta to discuss a possible Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) and other elements of our health cooperation. Progress on these fronts would allow the GOI to justify NAMRU staff's continued presence in Indonesia and thereby provide a rationale for extending the visas until the end of 2009. ¶4. (C) Charge responded that the United States and Indonesia were already making progress in health discussions. Two senior advisors to the Minster of Health would be in Washington June 17 for discussion of broader collaboration, including a possible joint medical research institute (see Ref A). The USG would be willing to send officials to Jakarta to continue these discussions. The Charge noted, however, that we had not pressed forward too aggressively on these matters, at the GOI's request, during the Indonesian election season. He also noted World Health Organization negotiations on a multilateral MTA. Health Minister Supari planned to visit Washington in late July to meet HHS Secretary Sibelius. All of this demonstrated that we were making progress on health discussions. NAMRU staff are critical to this progress and refusal to renew their visas would bring it to a halt. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Marsudi acknowledged that this did constitute progress and promised to discuss the matter with FM Wirajuda. She thought it was possible that we could make further steady progress on health issues over the next six to eight months. She noted that FM Wirajuda in consultation with Minister Supari and other cabinet colleagues would have the final say on renewal of the NAMRU visas. She also added that given the political sensitivities regarding NAMRU, it was in our mutual interest to keep NAMRU "low profile" while discussions were ongoing. PEACE CORPS COUNTRY AGREEMENT ¶6. (C) Charge underscored our desire to complete negotiations of a Peace Corps Country Agreement as soon as possible to ensure that volunteers would be on the ground in time for a possible Presidential visit in November. The Peace Corps was prepared to send a lawyer to Jakarta to complete the negotiations at a time convenient for the GOI. Ambassador Retno welcomed this and said her staff would meet JAKARTA 00001017 002 OF 002 Mission officers to set a date for the Peace Corps visit. BURMA ¶7. (C) Charge reiterated the Secretary's expression of concern over Aung San Suu Kyi's (ASSK) continued detention and trial. He urged Indonesia to continue pressing the Burmese regime for her release and to consider issuing a statement on the subject on June 19--ASSK's birthday and an important date for Burmese democracy advocates. Charge also underscored USG concern regarding the situation of Burmese Rohingya refugees in Aceh. (Note: Mission will provide an update on the Rohingya situation via septel.) OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION ¶8. (C) Charge told Marsudi that the USG was prepared to send a team to Jakarta to discuss updating the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) country agreement. Progress on this could lead to Indonesia hosting an OPIC-sponsored international investment conference in the spring. Marsudi said Indonesia welcomed progress on this front. She said DEPLU staff would soon meet Mission officers to discuss the matter in greater detail. THE BALI DEMOCRACY FORUM AND INTERFAITH DIALOGUE ¶9. (C) Ambassador Marsudi noted that the Secretary and FM Wirajuda discussed U.S. support for the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) and cooperation on interfaith dialogue. The GOI was keen to move forward on these initiatives. Charge noted that Mission officials were discussing a proposal for election training under the auspices of the BDF and the Asia-Pacific Democracy Partnership. An official from DRL would soon travel to Indonesia to discuss this further. Charge also noted that we were discussing interfaith dialogue ideas with GOI officials and civil society figures and hoped to develop a specific proposal soon. PAPUA ¶10. (C) Ambassador Marsudi noted the GOI's relief that language on Papua which it found problematic had been removed from draft appropriations legislation recently passed in Congress. NORTH