VZCZCXRO7582
PP RUEHBZ RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2584 2570917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140917Z SEP 07 ZFF4
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6272
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1170
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0939
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2381
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1353
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0793
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1755
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, INR/EAP, S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV MARR PREL PTER ID RP MY
SUBJECT: FACILITATING TRI-BORDER MARITIME SECURITY 
 
¶1.  (U)  This cable is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (U)  SUMMARY:  Delegations from Indonesia, Malaysia and 
the Philippines and observers from Brunei, Australia and the 
United States participated in a multilateral maritime 
security conference August 27-29 in Cebu, Philippines.  The 
USPACOM-sponsored conference was successful in developing 
recommendations to overcome gaps in cooperation within and 
among tri-border countries in maritime security policy, 
operations and information sharing.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Joint Inter-Agency Coordination Group of the 
U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), with the assistance of a 
contracted Philippine NGO (Asia Pacific Security Forum), 
sponsored the conference, which included representatives from 
U.S. missions in the region and civilian-military delegations 
from Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.  Working groups 
developed recommendations in each area for application at 
national, bilateral and multilateral levels.  There was broad 
acknowledgment of the need for better national interagency 
coordination of maritime efforts and for effective 
multilateral frameworks for working trilateral issues among 
countries.  Delegations were surprised to learn that many 
bilateral agreements already existed to address cross-border 
security, although some were outdated.  The Indonesian 
delegation offered to host the next conference in Indonesia 
in August, 2008. 
 
¶4. (SBU) INTERAGENCY MECHANISMS:  The conference structured 
working group sessions around the task of filling matrices 
containing a range of means and objectives pertaining to 
maritime security.  Groups were asked to create solutions to 
operational problems.  One recurrent variable was the 
presence of national interagency coordination.  This was then 
translated into an assessment of existing institutions in the 
three countries.  The Philippines' Coast Watch South, for 
example, was not yet operational.  Indonesia's Bakorkamla 
(Maritime Security Coordinating Body) was just beginning to 
establish its role.  The new Malaysian Maritime Enforcement 
Agency (MMEA) was still finding its way in implementing 
interagency cooperation. 
 
¶5. (SBU) SEARCH FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS:  The exercises 
also highlighted the need for institutional structures to 
facilitate trilateral consultations.  While no clear 
consensus emerged as to which policy structure was best, 
delegations frequently mentioned ASEAN's security framework 
(ARF/ASPC/SOMTC) as a possible model and the emerging 
Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area 
(BIMP EAGA) as another.  Other potential frameworks were the 
International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the 
Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).  Delegations also 
noted the need to operationalize the 2002 Agreement on 
Information Exchange and to ratify the 2007 ASEAN Convention 
on Counter Terrorism. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT:  The conference confirmed what we know 
about deficiencies in national interagency processes in 
participant countries and the need for better coordination 
among those same countries.  The conference was targeted to 
highlight these needs, and participating delegations' 
awareness of them is a measure of its success.  Embassy Kuala 
Lumpur's regional security initiative coordinator cleared 
this message.  END COMMENT. 
HUME