VICE PRESIDENT KALLA'S U.S. VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000163 DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP NSC FOR BADER AND PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV OVIP ID SUBJECT: VICE PRESIDENT KALLA'S U.S. VISIT REF: JAKARTA 152 Classified By: DCM John A. Heffern, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On January 30, DCM met with Farid Husain, a close associate of Indonesian Vice President Kalla. DCM urged that Kalla use his upcoming meetings in Washington to convey Indonesia's readiness to enter into a strategic partnership with the United States based on President Yudhoyono's call for such a partnership last year. DCM also noted our desire for improved cooperation with the Health Ministry where Husain works. END SUMMARY. MEETING WITH KEY ASSOCIATE OF VP KALLA ¶2. (C) DCM met with Farid Husain at the Ministry of Health on January 30 to discuss Indonesian Vice President Kalla's upcoming visit to the United States (February 2-6). In Washington, Kalla plans to attend the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5. He has requested meetings with Vice President Biden and with Representative Faleomavaega (D, Samoa). Husain will accompany Kalla on the trip. A POINT PERSON ON CONFLICT RESOLUTION ¶3. (C) Husain is a close associate of Kalla's. Husain worked with Kalla to resolve the ethnic-religious Poso conflicts in Sulawesi (Malino Declaration, 2001),Ambon, Maluku (Malino II Declaration, 2002) and the separatist conflict with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) through the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding in August 2005. Less successfully, Husain--working with Kalla--has sought to facilitate dialogue in southern Thailand and offered his services for the conflict in Sri Lanka. MEETINGS IN THE U.S. ¶4. (C) In Kalla's meetings with USG interlocutors, Husain agreed with the DCM that Kalla should stress that Indonesia wanted to be a partner with the United States as two of the world's largest democracies, and to ask what Indonesia could do to advance that agenda. It was time that Indonesia became a real partner of the United States to resolve regional conflicts and tackle broader global problems. DCM urged that reopening the Indonesian embassy in Baghdad would send a particularly strong signal of Indonesia's desire to be helpful. COOPERATION WITH HEALTH MINISTRY ¶5. (C) A medical professional and a director general of one of the ministry's largest departments, Husain said he was in line to become minister of health in Yudhoyono's cabinet when the appointment was rescinded in favor of the current Minister Supari. DCM stressed that the United States wanted to work with Indonesia as an equal partner on health issues and asked for Husain's support for such cooperation within the Ministry and the health community. Husain said the two countries have a common interest in combating infectious diseases. HUME