VZCZCXRO8863
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2322/01 2360725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 240725Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5910
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1039
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY PRIORITY 3406
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 1675
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002322 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EB, OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SENV ECON ID
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO ON INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, 
SAMPLE SHARING, CORAL REEFS 
 
 
JAKARTA 00002322  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary: On August 24, Ambassador Hume spoke with 
President Yudhoyono after SBY's address commemorating 50 
years of American Field Service (AFS) activity in Indonesia. 
Yudhoyono stressed the need for cultural interaction as the 
best way to build peace.  The Ambassador expressed 
appreciation that Indonesia had recently shared avian 
influenza samples and that White House environmental adviser 
Connaughton had had good discussions in Jakarta, adding that 
Yudhoyono's letter on the Coral Triangle Initiative had been 
transmitted to President Bush.  SBY said cooperation on avian 
influenza issues should continue and that a senior delegation 
would participate in the White House Conference of Major 
Economies, September 27-28.  He thanked the Ambassador for 
strong support of educational exchanges which brought 
Indonesian students to the United States.  End Summary. 
 
Value of Inter-Religious Dialogue 
--------------------------------- 
¶3. (U) President Yudhoyono, accompanied by Education Minister 
Soedibyo, spoke for twenty minutes to an audience of 500 
attending a conference to commemorate 50 years of AFS 
activity in Indonesia.  In a thoughtful address, SBY 
emphasized the value of AFS student exchanges which brought 
together people from different cultures, for without such 
exchanges "the world might otherwise be in the grip of hatred 
and conflict." 
 
¶4. (U) He discussed the 2005 events caused by the publication 
of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper, 
explaining if all involved had benefited from an AFS exchange 
program the events might not have happened.  The Western 
cartoonist would have known that an insult against the 
Prophet would have been like plunging a dagger into the heart 
of every devout Muslim, and Muslims would have understood the 
Western respect for freedom of expression, even when 
offensive.  The values of neither civilization should be 
sacrificed. 
 
¶5. (U) SBY said his government would do its part to build 
bridges.  For example, it had hosted in Bali a media dialogue 
that reviewed the cartoon case and stressed the need for 
mutual respect.  This year it had also hosted a Sunni-Shia 
dialogue in Bogor that could help ease the tensions in Iraq. 
He concluded with a plea for governments to move beyond mere 
coexistence to engagement and even partnership as the way to 
address climate change, poverty, and the risk of war. 
 
AI Sample Sharing, Coral Triangle Initiative, ASEAN Luncheon 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
¶6. (SBU) After the address, SBY's adviser Dino Djalal asked 
Ambassador Hume to join the president.  At the outset of the 
twenty-minute conversation, Hume expressed appreciation that 
Minister of Health Supari had recently resumed sharing of 
avian influenza samples with the USG and said the USG was 
committed to expanding cooperation on this issue.  He said 
SBY's letter regarding Indonesia's Coral Triangle Initiative 
had been sent to President Bush, along with additional 
information from Minister of Fisheries Numberi.  Finally, he 
raised the question of attendance at President Bush's 
September 7 ASEAN lunch in Sydney and participation in the 
September 27-28 Conference of Major Economies in Washington. 
 
¶7. (SBU) President Yudhoyono expressed his appreciation for 
bilateral cooperation on avian influenza, including sample 
sharing, and his view that it should continue.  He explained 
that he could not attend the September 7 lunch in Sydney 
because he was committed to host Russian President Putin in 
Jakarta, a commitment which prevented his departure prior to 
10:00 am on September 7.  After noting that he would travel 
to New York on September 24 for a UN meeting on environmental 
issues and the start of the UNGA, he said Indonesia would be 
represented at a senior level at the September 27-28 White 
House Conference of Major Economies.  He conveyed a strong 
personal interest in climate change issues, including the 
preservation of coral reefs. 
 
Value of Educational Exchanges 
------------------------------ 
 
JAKARTA 00002322  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) SBY stressed how convinced he was of the benefits of 
educational exchanges.  He pointed out that, while serving in 
the Indonesian army, he had been sent to schools in the 
United States six times, and "at last I got my masters 
degree."  He thanked the Ambassador for USG support and 
funding given for student exchanges, including the AFS 
programs, and stated he hoped such programs could be expanded. 
HUME