PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO REVIEWS THE SECRETARY'S

S E C R E T JAKARTA 000262 DEPARTMENT FOR S/ES, D, P, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS; NSC FOR J.BADER AND E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV OVIP CLINTON HILLARY ID SUBJECT: PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO REVIEWS THE SECRETARY'S UPCOMING VISIT WITH THE AMBASSADOR REF: JAKARTA 250 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: President Yudhoyono requested a meeting with the Ambassador on February 13 to discuss the Secretary's upcoming trip to Indonesia. Yudhoyono is pleased that the Secretary will stop in Jakarta on her first official trip. He plans to engage the Secretary on ways to move U.S.-Indonesia relations forward on the educational, environmental, economic and people-to-people fronts. ¶2. (S) SUMMARY (Con'd): Yudhoyono intends to raise Iran and offer to assist any USG efforts to engage Tehran. He will underscore to the Secretary the importance of United States engagement in Asia to ensure a stable balance of power in light of China's rise. The President will discuss new strategies to promote reform in Burma. END SUMMARY. MOVING BILATERAL RELATIONS FORWARD ¶3. (U) President Yudhoyono requested a meeting with the Ambassador on February 13 to discuss the Secretary's upcoming trip to Indonesia. Yudhoyono is pleased that the Secretary will visit Indonesia on her first overseas trip as Secretary. He said U.S.-Indonesian relations are good and can become better. The Secretary's visit will be key to moving the relationship forward. ¶4. (C) Yudhoyono will outline his vision of a strategic relationship with the United States, as he proposed in his November 2008 speech in Washington. Education, the environment, economic cooperation and people-to-people ties are key elements in that relationship. He will ask for a strong USG role in the World Oceans Conference and the Coral Triangle Initiative. Yudhoyono hopes to explore initiatives in these areas when he meets the Secretary. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador underscored that the United States sought a strong relationship with Indonesia. Indonesia's progress in democratic reform and countering terrorism is a solid basis for stronger bilateral ties in other areas. President Obama's personal history in Jakarta helped raise Indonesia's profile in Washington. The Secretary looks forward to discussing deepening cooperation with Indonesia during her visit. ¶6. (C) Yudhoyono will discuss the possibility that President Obama visit Indonesia to deliver a major address on U.S. relations with the Muslim world. He will propose to the Secretary that the venue be the Jakarta-based International Islamic Forum for Science, Technology and Human Resources Development (IFTIHAR),founded by former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie (see reftel). IFTIHAR would offer the President a venue to discuss critical issues between "the West and the rest," according to Yudhoyono. This could be arranged at any time convenient to President Obama, including around the time of the APEC meetings in Singapore later this year. WAYS TO ENGAGE IRAN ¶7. (S) Yudhoyono hailed President Obama's willingness to engage Iran and will tell the Secretary that Indonesia is willing to help. The key will be formulating the right approach. Yudhoyono urged the USG to be open minded and suggested that an enlarged mechanism might be more effective than the current P5 1 format. Indonesia would be willing to be part of such a mechanism. Yudhoyono has met President Ahmadinejad several times and offered to assist USG efforts to engage Tehran in any way that might be appropriate. CHINA AND THE REGIONAL BALANCE OF POWER ¶8. (S) Yudhoyono will tell the Secretary that U.S. engagement is important in order to maintain a stable balance of power in Asia given the rise of China. Indonesia is concerned that China's rise could upset stability in the region. A comprehensive and long-term approach is needed to manage China's rising influence. ASEAN, India, Japan and South Korea are key elements of that approach. In addition to this, the United States, Australia and New Zealand must play a role in the Asian balance of power. Yudhoyono hoped that the Secretary will outline priorities for U.S. Asia policy that include a robust commitment to the region. SEEKING NEW APPROACHES ON MYANMAR ¶9. (C) Creative and flexible new approaches are needed on Myanmar, Yudhoyono said. The challenge is to convince the regime to move forward with the roadmap, which offered a path to democracy. A combination of "carrots and sticks" was needed to influence the regime to move forward. Yudhoyono hoped that the Obama Administration would be open to new approaches to this issue. HUME