VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #2945/01 2921009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191009Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6739
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0714

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002945 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM AMBASSADOR HUME TO U/S PAULA DOBRIANSKY 
 
DEPT FOR G, OES, AND EAP 
TREASURY FOR TFCA - BERG 
NSC FOR CEQ CONNAUGHTON, VAN DYKE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KGHG ECON PREL ID
SUBJECT: PRE-COP BOGOR SCENESETTER FOR U/S DOBRIANSKY: INDONESIAN 
PERSPECTIVES 
 
REF: JAKARTA 2683 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and Introduction: Embassy Jakarta welcomes you to 
Indonesia to participate in the Informal Ministerial Meeting on 
Climate Change in Bogor, October 23-25.  Indonesia wants the pre-COP 
ministerial meeting to increase prospects for the success of the 
13th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 13) in Bali in December. 
As with the Major Economies Meeting (MEM), GOI officials view the 
Bogor meeting as a "confidence building measure" on the road to COP 
¶13.  They will judge the meeting a success if there is any movement 
towards consensus or agreement on specific climate change issues. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Indonesia will focus on financial incentives to prevent 
deforestation and land degradation.  GOI officials remain unclear 
about the specific form this should take, but they would view 
positively any support for REDD (Reducing Emissions from 
Deforestation and Degradation) initiatives, and are open to private 
sector approaches.  Following the MEM, the Indonesians are clearly 
interested in the trade-clean technology linkages, including 
financing and technology transfer for developing countries.  End 
Summary and Introduction. 
 
Reaction to Major Economies Process: Reassured 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (SBU) Minister of Environment Witoelar and others cautiously 
approached the MEM as a potential "confidence building measure" and 
a "political building block" for a successful outcome at COP-13 
(reftel).  The MEM appears to have surpassed these modest Indonesian 
expectations.  Salman Al-Farisi, the MFA representative at the MEM, 
recently told us that they are now reassured that the MEM process 
would not undermine or detract from the UNFCCC process.  According 
to presidential advisor Dino Djalal, the members of Indonesia's MEM 
delegation briefed President Yudhoyono after their return from the 
U.S., and the President was pleased with the outcome of the meeting. 
 
 
Bogor and Desired Outcomes: "A Kind of Warm Up" 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Witoelar's public statements since the MEM indicate that he 
views the pre-COP meeting as a similar building block.  Bogor will 
not be a meeting to corner participants on policy positions but an 
attempt to bring countries' respective positions closer together in 
advance of December.  In his words, it will be "a kind of warm-up" 
to help countries prepare their strategies and positions for a 
successful COP-13.  In addition to discussions of a post-Kyoto 
Protocol emissions reduction scheme, the Indonesians want active 
consideration of financial incentives to prevent deforestation. 
Besides carbon trading, they have focused on direct 
assistance/funding for conservation and reforestation/rehabilitation 
of degraded lands. 
 
The Refrain: Your Money, Our Forests 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) The GOI wants the rest of the world to help fund policies 
in countries like Indonesia to preserve its rich tropical forests, 
but remains unclear about the specific form this would take. 
Minister Witoelar and his deputies, as well as Ministry of Forestry 
(MOF) officials and Presidential Advisor Dr. Emil Salim, have 
suggested a transfer of $5-20 per hectare of forest preserved (in 
good condition).  This is a nod towards REDD initiatives like the 
World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), which would 
slow deforestation by compensating developing countries for carbon 
dioxide reductions realized by maintaining their forests.  GOI 
officials say estimates of non-degraded forest area in Indonesia 
that might qualify range from 33-88 million hectares. 
 
¶6. (SBU) At the same time, officials acknowledge that much research 
into and discussion of the science surrounding measuring and 
monitoring avoided deforestation are needed.   Mr. Wahyudi Wardoyo, 
the MOF's Head of the Forestry Research and Development Agency, says 
that they are working to compile convincing data and methodologies 
that will be acceptable to COP-13 delegates.  Officials also stress 
that Indonesia has roughly 59.2 million hectares of deforested or 
degraded land, and that any future mechanism should include funding 
for reforestation and rehabilitation of these lands.  They have 
called for easing rules under the Clean Development Mechanism (or 
any similar future mechanism) so that Indonesia can benefit more 
from its forests.  Lack of historical forest conversion data 
currently impedes Indonesia from participation in CDM-financed 
forestry projects. 
 
Technology, Trade, and Adaptation Funding 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) In addition to financial mechanisms to protect rainforests, 
the GOI is interested in the trade-clean technology linkages, 
including financing and technology transfer for developing 
countries.  GOI officials, including Dr. Emil Salim, have repeatedly 
stated the importance of finance, technology transfer, and the 
private sector (usually in terms of carbon credits and trading) 
following the MEM.  The MFA's Salman Al-Farisi, Director for 
Development, Economic and Environmental Affairs, told us recently 
that following the MEM, the GOI is keen to hear additional details 
from the U.S. regarding trade and technology transfer issues. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Bogor meeting is an opportunity for you to reemphasize 
that the MEM process will complement and reinforce the UNFCCC 
process.  You will want to stress that the U.S. places great 
importance on the issue of climate change and shares Indonesia's 
desire for a successful outcome at COP-13.  On forests specifically, 
you may want to point out that the U.S. is making available 
approximately $19.6 million to protect forests in Indonesia under 
the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, in addition to funding 
regional programs on illegal logging, habitat preservation, and 
sustainable forest management. 
 
HUME