U.S.-INDONESIA COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000623 DEPT FOR P, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS NSC FOR J.BADER AND E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON KPAO ID SUBJECT: U.S.-INDONESIA COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP CONSULTATIONS REF: JAKARTA 468 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4 (b+d). ¶1. (U) This message contains an Action Request. Please see paragraph 6. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: A delegation of senior GOI officials looks forward to discussing the draft of a U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership statement with USG counterparts during an April 14-16 visit to Washington. This visit will be an opportunity to identify concrete areas of cooperation under the Partnership and to help develop the statement that FM Wirajuda hopes to initial with the Secretary during his May visit to Washington. The GOI hopes our two Presidents will formally launch the Comprehensive Partnership and release the statement during a possible visit to Indonesia by President Obama later this year. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Hume met April 6 with Ambassador Retno Marsudi, Director General for American and European Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU),and the delegation of GOI officials she will lead to Washington next week. The Ambassador noted that Secretary Clinton's February 18-19 visit to Jakarta had created an opportunity to upgrade U.S.-Indonesia relations. He said the United States and Indonesia should use this moment to deepen our cooperation in several key areas, including via: --Promoting democracy and stability in Southeast Asia; --Deepening our economic, trade and investment relations; --Working together to address climate change and advance science and technology; and, --Expanding our educational cooperation. We are already making progress in some of these areas, such as through the recent conclusion of a Fulbright MOU and our ongoing negotiation of a Peace Corps country agreement. The Ambassador underscored that the United States sought Indonesian views on other areas we might develop in our Partnership. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Marsudi agreed that the United States and Indonesia should seize this opportunity to make our Partnership more concrete. She said a DEPLU-led interagency GOI team had nearly completed a draft joint statement on the partnership, which she promised to provide to us. (Note: Mission will forward a copy of this to EAP/MTS when we receive it.) The GOI paper will outline ideas for expanded cooperation in three baskets: --Political and security; --Economics, development and food security; and, --Socio-cultural matters (including education). She said the document would also create a formal follow-up mechanism, including the establishment of regular ministerial and senior officials' meetings. (Note: This format is consistent with the format of Indonesia's Comprehensive Partnerships with other countries, including the Netherlands.) ¶5. (C) Ambassador Marsudi said she hoped to present this draft to U/S Burns during her visit to Washington. The GOI delegation also planned to discuss the substance of the partnership with DAS Scot Marciel and other Department officials in Washington. These meetings would allow USG and GOI officials to agree on areas of cooperation and to refine the text of the joint statement. FM Wirajuda planned to visit Washington in mid-May and hoped to initial a completed statement with the Secretary. Indonesian officials hoped that our two Presidents would launch the partnership and issue the statement during President Obama's possible visit to Indonesia later this year. Ambassador Marsudi agreed that in the meantime both sides should continue to move forward on agreements currently under negotiation, including the Science and Technology Agreement, the Peace Corps Country Agreement and the Defense Cooperation MOU. ¶6. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Mission requests that the Department confirm meetings for Ambassador Marsudi and the GOI delegation with U/S Burns and with Ambassador Scot Marciel on April 14. Additionally, we request the Department's assistance arranging Ambassador Marsudi's meetings with Ambassador Jeffrey Bader, NSC Senior Director for Asia; Jody Olsen, Acting Director of the Peace Corps; and Senate staffers Tim Rieser and Keith Luse. Finally, we request the Department's confirmation of a possible meeting for Ambassador Artauli Tobing, DEPLU's Director of Policy Planning with S/P Director Slaughter. END ACTION REQUEST. HUME