AFGHANISTAN -- INDONESIA WELCOMES PRESIDENT'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002022 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, S/SRAP, SCA, SCA/AF NSC FOR J.BADER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019 TAGS: PREL PINS MOPS ID AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN -- INDONESIA WELCOMES PRESIDENT'S SPEECH, LOOKS TO DO MORE REF: A. STATE 123222 ¶B. STATE 122731 Classified By: DCM Ted Osius, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Indonesian officials have welcomed President Obama's speech on Afghanistan and are looking for ways to be more helpful there. Indonesia already provides training and capacity building for the Afghan government in the agriculture, education, and health care areas. Senior GOI officials are reviewing additional options for assistance in Afghanistan, including training for the Afghan police. Ahead of the January donor conference, Mission continues to urge the GOI to be more engaged in Afghanistan. A key opportunity to shape GOI views will come during U/S Burns's December 10-11 visit. END SUMMARY. GOI WELCOMES PRESIDENT'S SPEECH ¶2. (C) Indonesian officials welcomed President Obama's December 1 speech on Afghanistan. During a recent parliamentary hearing, FM Natalegawa noted Indonesia's support for United States' commitment to building peace and stability there. In a follow up discussion with poloff on December 8, Hikmat Moeljawan, Deputy Director for South and Central Asia at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU), elaborated further on Indonesian views regarding Afghanistan. The GOI believed that reconciliation between key stakeholders in the country, including "moderate" elements of the Taliban, was critical. Moeljawan explained, however, that the GOI did not/not believe that al-Qaeda or hardcore Taliban fighters should be part of this reconciliation process. ¶3. (C) Using Ref A and B points, poloff outlined the comprehensive nature of the USG's strategy. Additional U.S. and Coalition military forces were necessary to create security and the space for greater civilian efforts, he explained. The United States and our partners would also seek to build up the Afghan government's capabilities in agriculture, infrastructure and other critical development areas. The GOI agreed that economic development was key to stability in Afghanistan. INDONESIA ALREADY ENGAGED ¶4. (SBU) The GOI shared our concern for the welfare of the Afghan people. Indonesia has already provided nearly twenty training and capacity building trips for Afghan officials in agriculture, education and public health. Moeljawan explained that these trips involve small groups of GOA officials visiting locations in Indonesia for 1-3 weeks of seminars, workshops and other activities. Last month, the GOI hosted Afghan public health officials for training on women and child health and a group of Afghan trade officials is currently in the country looking at export promotion strategies. Indonesia hopes to expand these activities although Moeljawan told poloff that the GOI has not yet finalized any plans on this front. Moeljawan promised to provide a complete summary of all the capacity building activities that Indonesia has already undertaken in Afghanistan. (Note: Mission will forward this when we receive it.) ¶5. (C) Indonesian officials are also preparing for visits from Afghan Finance Minister Zakhilwal and Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister Ehsan Zia sometime next year. (Note: Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta had been slated to attend the December 10-11 Bali Democracy Forum but canceled his participation citing other commitments.) The Indonesian Finance Ministry plans a visit for Zakhilwal focused on capacity building for the Afghan Finance Ministry, particularly in the area of anti-corruption, according to Moeljawan. The GOI hopes that Zia might visit some of Indonesia's rural development projects and review Indonesia's disaster response and reconstruction activities. No date has yet been set for either visit. URGING THE GOI TO DO MORE ¶6. (C) Indonesia can do more in Afghanistan and the Presidential Palace is supervising a review of Afghan policy JAKARTA 00002022 002 OF 002 to identify what steps the GOI might take. DEPLU has already decided to increase the size of its Embassy in Kabul although personnel have not yet been selected. Indonesia is also considering training for the Afghan police and Mission continues to engage the GOI in this area. We are urging the Indonesian government to identify specific contributions it might make in Afghanistan in advance of the late-January donor's conference. The Indonesian police are considering sending an assessment mission to Afghanistan to explore this possibility. Mission is working to facilitate this trip once the Indonesians decide to move forward. ¶7. (C) President Yudhoyono is also considering whether Indonesia might help facilitate an Afghan national reconciliation process, Moeljawan said. In 2007 the GOI helped negotiate the release of several South Koreans from Taliban captivity. Through this effort, the GOI developed some good contacts and some good will among the Taliban, he said. President Yudhoyono believed this put Indonesia in a good role to potentially help facilitate reconciliation between Afghan stakeholders. ¶8. (C) Cooperation on Afghanistan can be an important element of the developing Indonesia-United States Comprehensive Partnership. Indonesian views on what to do in Afghanistan are continuing to evolve and Mission is pursuing a vigorous engagement strategy with the GOI to shape that evolution. The next step in this engagement process will come when U/S Burns visits Indonesia December 10-11 and discusses Afghanistan, among other issues, with senior GOI officials. HUME