YEMENI PRESIDENT'S VISIT HIGHLIGHTS LONGSTANDING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000370

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, NEA, NEA/ARP
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV ID YM
SUBJECT: YEMENI PRESIDENT'S VISIT HIGHLIGHTS LONGSTANDING
TIES

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's
February 28-March 3 visit to Jakarta highlighted the
longstanding ties shared by the two countries. Saleh also
participated in the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF),a
gathering of economic leaders from the Muslim world. The
visit also cast a spotlight on the small but influential
community of Yemeni-descended Indonesians. The visit was
politically useful for President Yudhoyono as it helped him
cater to this key community ahead of national elections this
year. END SUMMARY.

VISIT HIGHLIGHTS BILATERAL COOPERATION


2. (U) Yemeni President Saleh visited Indonesia February
28-March 3 as part of a trip that included stops in Syria,
Russia, Tajikistan and China. In Jakarta, he met President
Yudhoyono and other senior Indonesian officials. Saleh also
took part in the March 2-3 World Islamic Economic Forum.


3. (U) Saleh and Yudhoyono announced bilateral cooperation
in a number of political and economic areas. They discussed
law enforcement, counterterrorism and military cooperation.
They also agreed to promote greater trade and investment
between the two countries and agreed to cooperate on
fisheries.

A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP


4. (U) Saleh's visit also highlighted longstanding ties
shared by the two countries. Yemeni merchants, mostly from
the Hadhramaut region of southern Yemen, have plied Indian
Ocean trade routes for centuries. Following the Monsoon
winds, these traders connected Indonesia with the Arabian
Peninsula, Persian Gulf, East African coast and other parts
of the Muslim world.


5. (U) Yemeni traders had a cultural as well as mercantile
function. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century,
the Hadhramaut was a key center of Sufism, a mystical and
sometimes highly synchronic practice of Islam. Many Hadhrami
Sufi sheikhs and scholars settled across Indonesia where they
became religious teachers. Many Yemeni migrants claimed
descent from the Prophet Muhammad, which boosted their
religious credentials. While many were concentrated in the
Muslim-majority islands of Java and Sumatra, they spread
throughout the entire archipelago--and to neighboring
countries. For example, Timor-Leste independence leader and
former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri traces his ancestry to
Yemen.


6. (U) Yemeni-descended Indonesians have made important
contributions to their country's history, although it remains
a small minority. (Note: Yemeni-descended Indonesians
account for a tiny percentage of Indonesia's population of
roughly 245 million.) Yemeni-Indonesian merchant families
supported the nationalist revolution against Dutch colonial
rule. A key figure in the revolution, Abdurrahman Baswedan,
is considered one of the founders of the country and served
in several government posts early in Indonesia's history.
Baswedan's grandson Anies was a key anti-Suharto student
leader and is currently the youngest rector of a major
Indonesian university.


7. (U) The community has also made its mark in diplomacy and
scholarship. Ali Alatas, who served as Foreign Minister
1988-1999 and died recently, is a particularly notable
example. Alwi Shihab had a distinguished career as an
Islamic scholar--including several years teaching in the
United States--before serving as Foreign Minister. He now
serves as President Yudhoyono's Special Envoy for Middle East
Affairs. Shihab's brother Umar is a key leader of the
Indonesian Council of Clerics (MUI) and a conservative voice
on religious matters.


8. (C) Other Yemeni-descended Indonesians have made a less
positive impact on the country. Abdullah Sungkar, the
deceased co-founder of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyyah
(JI),traces his ancestry to the Hadhramaut. So too does
JI's spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir and key terrorist
operative Dulmatin (one name only). Some of our contacts,
particularly among liberal Muslim groups, blame recent
Salafi-influenced Yemeni migrants for spreading extreme
religious ideas in Indonesia.

JAKARTA 00000370 002 OF 002



WORKING A KEY COMMUNITY


9. (C) Saleh's visit showed that relations between the two
countries are positive. It is not clear whether President
Yudhoyono will make a reciprocal visit to Yemen anytime soon.
More importantly for Yudhoyono, the visit afforded him the
chance to cozy up to Indonesian Yemenis ahead of this year's
national elections. The community is wealthy and he could
use its donations--and its votes.

HUME