INDONESIA - CAIRO IS HERE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000086

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD, EAP/RSP
S/P (GREG BEHRMAN)
NSC FOR PRADEEP RAMAMURTHY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI KISL EAID KPAO ID XF

SUBJECT: INDONESIA - CAIRO IS HERE

REF: A. STATE 71325

B. JAKARTA 1832 and previous


1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The President's vision of a "New Beginning" with
the Muslim world is alive and well in Indonesia. This new era of
global engagement has allowed us to make significant advances to our
Comprehensive Partnership with Indonesia--the Muslim world's largest
democracy. When President Obama and President Yudhoyono met last
November, they pledged to strengthen the U.S.-Indonesia
Comprehensive Partnership in key areas such as interfaith dialogue,
democracy and economic reform, science and technology,
entrepreneurship, people to people ties, climate change, and health;
a perfect match with the President's global engagement effort. END
SUMMARY.
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE


3. (SBU) On January 25-27, we will engage in the first bilateral
interfaith working group event under the Cairo Initiative at the
request of the Government of Indonesia. The event will focus on
building communities through interfaith work as a component of the
Comprehensive Partnership. Former Foreign Minister Wirajuda
proposed this dialogue to Secretary Clinton when she visited Jakarta
last year. We expect this event will serve as a model for similar
dialogues throughout the Muslim world. It will bring leaders from
the private, civil and government sectors together to create
actionable plans for addressing common challenges.

PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN THE REGION


4. (SBU) U/S Burns attended the second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF)
held last December in Indonesia. The forum was created by the
Indonesian government so that Indonesia could play a greater
leadership role in the region by promoting regional democratization.
The BDF was attended by representatives from 36 Asian countries and
13 observer nations. We are working with the BDF's programming arm,
the Institute for Peace and Democracy, to provide training, election
visits, policy-oriented research and field studies to advance the
democratic process throughout Asia.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


5. (SBU) Science Envoy Dr. Bruce Alberts unfortunately had to
cancel his visit to Indonesia in late January. But he already plans
to continue discussions and exploration of areas of science
partnership including application of science discoveries, science
education and increasing institutional science linkages between both
countries. We hope to finalize a Science and Technology Agreement
before President Obama's expected visit to pave the way for deeper
scientific exchanges. The Embassy has organized a series of events
in coordination with the Indonesian government and private sector
companies to address food security and provide opportunities for
U.S. companies in biotechnology. Mission has promoted the concept
of a Center for Sustainable Ocean Fisheries to encourage fisheries
research, fisheries management, and monitoring.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP


6. (SBU) We have an opportunity to partner with Indonesia on
entrepreneurship. Indonesia is enthusiastic to cooperate;
government officials and business leaders have already expressed
interest in hosting a follow-on event in Indonesia to President
Obama's Entrepreneurship Summit in Washington. Cooperation in
entrepreneurship also provides a positive framework to address
economic and investment climate reform issues and highlights our
links to fast-growing Asian markets critical for U.S. growth.
Increased investment in entrepreneurship in Indonesia holds
potential for significant gains.

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE TIES


7. (SBU) Plans to construct a high-tech, 21st century public
diplomacy venue targeting Indonesian youth continue. Using a "whole
of government" approach, we will take public diplomacy outside the
embassy to a popular shopping mall to connect at "The American
Place." This venue will have dynamic, regularly changing
programming, involving public and private partners to provide a
uniquely American experience.

EDUCATION


8. (SBU) We are strengthening higher education cooperation by

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working to double the number of Indonesian students in the U.S. and
U.S. students in Indonesia. We also are working to increase
university-to-university partnerships and expand exchange programs,
such as Fulbright, English immersion and community college programs.
Using USAID funds, we are creating university linkages between U.S.
and Indonesian universities to partner on child protection and
biodiversity research.

CLIMATE CHANGE


9. (SBU) Indonesia continues to play a positive role in
international climate change talks and is associating itself with
the Copenhagen Accord. It will likely be one of the first countries
to inscribe its domestic actions with the U.N. Framework Convention
on Climate Change Secretariat prior to the UN deadline, and it is
taking a leadership role in encouraging other countries to inscribe
as well.

HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS


10. (SBU) President Obama and President Yudhoyono called for
deepening U.S.-Indonesia cooperation in combating infectious
diseases when they met in November in Singapore. Health
cooperation is an important part of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive
Partnership and a critical priority for both countries. The
establishment of the Indonesia-U.S. Center for Biomedical and Public
Health Research (IUC) would provide an ideal platform for long-term
engagement on infectious disease research and applied public health
solutions that will benefit both countries. To do that, however, we
must be able to assuage Indonesian political sensitivities over U.S.
military involvement.


HUME