INDONESIAN PRESIDENT'S SEPTEMBER TRAVEL PLANS --

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001431 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP - SUN DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP - VORDERSTRASSE USUN NEW YORK FOR DUGAN NSC FOR BADER, BROWN E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2019 TAGS: PREL OVIP ECON UNGA ID SUBJECT: INDONESIAN PRESIDENT'S SEPTEMBER TRAVEL PLANS -- STOPS IN PITTSBURGH, BOSTON, BUT NOT UNGA REF: STATE 68590 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Presidential Palace has confirmed that President Yudhoyono will travel to Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit, September 24-26. He will then travel to Cambridge to give a speech at Harvard and participate in a business gathering in Boston. He will not participate in the U.N. General Assembly. Our Palace contact told us that FM Wirajuda will represent Indonesia at UNGA. As busy as September will be for Yudhoyono, October will also be a busy month in Jakarta with the swearing in of the new Parliament slated for October 1 and the presidential inauguration on October 20. END SUMMARY. IN PITTSBURGH FOR THE G-20 ¶2. (C) The Palace has confirmed President Yudhoyono's travel schedule in September. In an August 28 meeting with Pol/C, Astari Daenuwy, an international relations assistant to the President, confirmed that Yudhoyono will be in Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit from September 24-26. His schedule in Pittsburgh will be "almost totally devoted to the Summit," according to Daenuwy, though he looks forward to having some bilateral meetings on the margins. IN THE BOSTON AREA ¶3. (C) President Yudhoyono will then travel to the Boston area, September 27-29. He will visit Cambridge to give a speech at Harvard University. Daenuwy said Yudhoyono also plans to participate in a business gathering in Boston. Daenuwy added that one of the key reasons for the Boston area stop was to allow the President to see his eldest son, Agus, who is attending the Kennedy School of Government. (Note: Captain Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who is in the infantry, recently served in Lebanon as a peacekeeper. His younger brother is a recently elected member of parliament) After a long--and ultimately successful--campaign for president, Danuwy said Yudhoyono needed some "downtime," noting that the President would generally keep to a "light schedule" in the Boston area. ¶4. (U) Daenuwy said she expected that First Lady Ibu Ani would travel with her husband. PRESIDENT WILL NOT ATTEND UNGA ¶5. (C) The president will not travel to New York for UNGA. Daenuwy related that Yudhoyono wanted to participate, but could not due to scheduling conflicts at home, including the end of the Ramadhan fasting month and the Id-ul-Fitri celebration. (Note: Due to the political campaign, Yudhoyono did not participate in UNGA last year. In previous years, he had represented Indonesia in New York.) Daenuwy said she had heard that Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda would represent Indonesia at UNGA. (Note: Mission is emailing to EAP/MTS a draft list of Indonesian government UNGA participants. We are urging the GOI to finalize the list and provide visit arrival and departure dates.) OCTOBER WILL BE BUSY IN JAKARTA ¶6. (C) As busy as September will be for Yudhoyono, October will also be a busy month in Jakarta with the swearing in of the new Parliament slated for October 1 and the presidential inauguration on October 20. (Note: Mission continues to check with the GOI on whether foreign delegations will be invited to attend these events.) In the meantime, Jakarta is abuzz with rumors of who is in and who is out of the Cabinet (see septel). Daenuwy commented that the Cabinet will only be decided on "after the inauguration." HUME