Ambassador Hume Expresses Concerns on Status of Peace Corps

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001832

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS
DEPT PASS TO PEACE CORPS

E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: EAID USAID PREL PGOV ID
SUBJECT: Ambassador Hume Expresses Concerns on Status of Peace Corps
Agreement


1. (U) This telegram contains an action request, please see para.

6.


2. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador Hume met with Bunyan Saptomo,
Director of North and Central American Affairs at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs on November 4 to discuss the remaining issues on
completing Peace Corps' Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
Indonesia. Ambassador Hume expressed concern that Indonesia's
unwillingness to offer unconditional Administrative and Technical
(A&T) status to Peace Corps staff not only endangered establishment
of a Peace Corps program, but also risked endangering bilateral
cooperation more broadly. End Summary.


3. (SBU) Ambassador Hume conveyed to Bunyan that Indonesia's
unwillingness to offer unconditional A&T status to Peace Corps staff
imperiled establishment of a Peace Corps program. Bunyan responded
that since Peace Corps is not physically attached to the Embassy it
does not qualify for A&T status, but that collocation with the
Embassy would qualify it for limited A&T status, absent immunities.
Ambassador Hume explained that Peace Corps receives A&T status in
every country in which it operates and never collocates with
Embassies or Consulates. He also reminded Bunyan that there are
numerous other U.S. agencies that have offices apart from the
Embassy but nonetheless receive A&T status from Indonesia. The
Ambassador warned Bunyan that broad application of this new standard
would strain relations between the U.S. and Indonesia and added that
newly-appointed Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa would likely bear
most of the responsibility.


4. (SBU) Bunyan responded that the U.S. denied A&T status for their
commercial and trade offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. He
suggested that if the U.S. were to offer reciprocal A&T status to
these offices, the GOI might reconsider its position on Peace Corps'
request. Ambassador Hume told Bunyan that the State Department has
no record of the GOI ever requesting for these offices to be
accorded any diplomatic status. Bunyan then sought to distance the
GOI's position on Peace Corps from a similar dispute over NAMRU,
citing the political and public sensitivities specific to
cooperation in health issues.


5. (SBU) Ambassador Hume reiterated Peace Corps position that it
would be best to not include any definition of "family member" in
the text of a Peace Corps' MOU. While the GOI prefers to include a
restrictive definition (excluding same-sex partners),Ambassador
Hume explained that the Peace Corps MOU is not the appropriate venue
for that discussion and policies applied to Peace Corps by the GOI
should ultimately be consistent with those applied to all USG
agencies in Indonesia. Bunyan's response was non-specific, but
indicated the GOI might reconsider its position.


5. (SBU) Peace Corps' return to Indonesia is long overdue.
However, the longer it takes to finalize these remaining issues, the
more likely new issues could crop up. Post's argument to receive
A&T status for Peace Corps would be stronger if the U.S. offered
reciprocal status to equivalent Indonesian entities. We encourage
the Department to review the standards and policies we apply for
determining diplomatic status alongside the requests we are making
of our foreign partners. We recommend moving quickly to ensure
completion of the agreement in time for a joint announcement by
President Obama and President Yudhoyono at the APEC summit in
Singapore later this month. A Peace Corps announcement would deepen
the impact of President Obama's upcoming bilateral with President
Yudhoyono and lay the groundwork for a successful visit by President
Obama in 2010. Ambassador Hume will meet with Foreign Minister
Natalegawa on November 5. This meeting is the last opportunity to
influence these issues at the ministerial level before the
presidential bilateral at APEC. Post requests guidance on the
diplomatic status of Indonesia's commercial offices in Chicago and
Los Angeles in advance of that meeting. Post also requests guidance
on whether Peace Corps accepts the GOI's offer of including a
housing reimbursement provision in the implementing agreement (not
the MOU) to offset visa fees.

HUME