DCM REVIEWS PARTNERSHIP, PLANNED PRESIDENTIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001456

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR D, P, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP
NSC FOR J.BADER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON ID
SUBJECT: DCM REVIEWS PARTNERSHIP, PLANNED PRESIDENTIAL
VISIT IN MEETING WITH KEY GOI OFFICIAL

REF: STATE 90774 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: DCM Ted Osius, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The DCM met September 1 with Ambassador
Retno Marsudi of the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs
(DEPLU). Marsudi said her visit to Washington last week had
gone well. She then reviewed Indonesian perspectives on the
Comprehensive Partnership and the GOI's desire for
information on when an advance team would come to Indonesia
to plan President Obama's proposed November visit. The DCM
said we did not yet have dates for the advance team's visit.
The DCM then reviewed where Indonesia and the U.S. stood in
terms of key elements of the Partnership. END SUMMARY.

MARSUDI ON COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP


2. (C) The DCM met with Indonesian Director General for
American and European Affairs Ambassador Retno Marsudi on
September 1. Marsudi related that her meetings in Washington
last week had gone well (see reftel). She said she wanted to
reiterate several points she had made in Washington. The GOI
placed a high priority on the development of the
Comprehensive Partnership and wanted the Partnership to be
acknowledged in a separate document during a possible visit
by President Obama in November. Such a document would only
consist of a brief declaration announcing the Partnership; it
did not have to be long. Marsudi said that Department of
State representatives had agreed that that made sense, but
said they would have to review the matter on an inter-agency
basis.


3. (C) Marsudi added that she had also reviewed the USG's
draft "Plan of Action," which was based on an initial draft
developed by the Indonesian side in April. Based on her
initial review, Marsudi said there were many positives but
more emphasis should be placed on counter-terrorism
cooperation and on peacekeeping, including Indonesia's plans
to develop a peacekeeping training center with USG
assistance. The Indonesian side would be meeting this week
to review the "Plan of Action" document more thoroughly and
would provide comments later.

PLANNED PRESIDENTIAL VISIT


4. (C) Regarding the President's possible visit in November,
Marsudi said she had mentioned to USG principals the idea
that Indonesia would give a posthumous award to the
President's mother, Ann Dunham, for her seminal work in the
area of micro-finance. The GOI also was investigating
whether to rename the school in central Jakarta that the
President attended as a boy. According to Marsudi, the USG
side had indicated that this would be greeted warmly and
mentioned that one idea was to name it in honor of the
President's mother.


5. (C) In terms of planning for the presidential visit, the
Indonesian side looked forward to the arrival of a U.S.
advance team soon. The DCM replied that we hoped to hear
confirmation of that shortly, but no dates had been announced
by Washington yet. He added that there was discussion in
Washington of A/S Campbell visiting in early October.
Marsudi said that the GOI hoped that President Obama's
possible visit could be extended at least two hours on
November 13 so as to allow for a state dinner. She added
that she planned to speak to DEPLU's Chief of Protocol about
the visit shortly.

STATUS OF KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PARTNERSHIP


6. (C) The DCM remarked that the Ambassador planned to
return to Washington in mid-September to discuss the proposed
presidential visit and to review the Comprehensive
Partnership. At this point, the list of Partnership items
was very substantive, though both sides had to make progress
on some of them. The DCM then reviewed where the following
key items stood:

People-to-People Ties:

-- Return of the Peace Corps: There were several small
areas re the proposed MOU that needed to be agreed to by both
sides. A U.S. negotiator was now in Jakarta and we hoped to
make progress on these items by the end of the week.

-- American Place: U.S. plans to open an innovative center
for outreach at a Jakarta mall were moving forward. We
wanted to have a "soft" opening of this facility during the

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planned presidential visit.

-- Interfaith Dialogue: The U.S. side was reviewing the
Indonesian proposal for such an event. Marsudi commented
that this was a GOI priority and it wanted the dialogue to be
bilateral at least in name. That said, third-country
representatives could also participate.

-- Bali Democracy Forum (BDF): The U.S. was reviewing
concrete ways that it could assist the BDF and its mission of
electoral assistance in the Asian region.

-- Education: The large delegation of American educators
that had visited Indonesia recently had recommended the
formation of a bilateral joint education commission. The USG
was reviewing this idea. We were also looking into
supporting university linkages and there was some funding for
such efforts.

Security:

-- Peacekeeping: The U.S. had several large-scale projects
in place meant to assist Indonesia's peacekeeping efforts,
including its plans for a peacekeeping center.

-- Afghan Police Training: Foreign Minister Wirajuda had
expressed interest in this idea. Under Secretary Burns had
raised it with Marsudi on August 28. The Ambassador would
discuss it when he returned to Washington.

Economic, Environment:

-- Presidential Aircraft: The U.S. was working on proposals
that would help Indonesia purchase a presidential aircraft.
The Export-Import Bank had concrete proposals re financing
and these had been passed to the GOI.

-- Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA): The U.S. was
looking into whether a TFCA could be developed for the Papuan
region, in addition to that already in place for Sumatra.

-- Health: Minister of Health Supari was slated to meet
Secretary Sebelius on September 16 in Washington. The next
meeting of the bilateral steering committee co-chaired by
Minister Supari and Ambassador Hume was scheduled for
September 4.

-- Proposed Science and Technology Agreement: A U.S.
negotiating team was planning to visit in mid-September.

-- Environmental Protection Agency: An EPA team planned to
visit next week and hoped to meet with Governor Bowo of
Jakarta.

-- Trade/Investment: This continued to be a priority area.
We had been in touch with KADIN (the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce) and it had said it would work to make clear that
Indonesia was "open for business" before any presidential
visit. Marsudi commented that KADIN was helping set up a
business event by President Yudhoyono that would take place
in Boston on September 26.

Strategic Discussions:

-- Regional/International issues: In addition to these key
issues, the U.S. looked forward to close strategic
consultations with Indonesia on regional and international
issues, such as Burma, North Korea and Iran. U/S Burns had
offered to visit Indonesia after the planned presidential
visit in order to kick off this pattern of high-level
strategic dialogue.

HUME