VZCZCXRO7550
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3452 3550951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210951Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7489
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J07/CATMED/CAT//
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8267
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1809
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1069
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7707

UNCLAS JAKARTA 003452 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES 
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/ABHAT/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN 
USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM 
USDA/APHIS ANNELLI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA - MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROHIBITS SAMPLE 
SHARING WITHOUT MATERIALS TRANSFER AGREEMENT 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Indonesian Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari has 
reportedly issued instructions regulating the shipment of any 
biological samples outside of the country or the sharing of samples 
with foreign institutions without governmental permission and a 
signed Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) between the parties 
involved.  According to Ministry of Health (MOH) officials, Supari 
convened a meeting December 17 with the deans of medical schools, 
directors of major hospitals and senior members of the Ministries of 
Health and Research and Technology to inform them of the new 
requirement.  Each governmental department is reportedly responsible 
for developing and negotiating their own MTAs with foreign partners. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) This decision will make it harder to share H5N1-infected 
human samples.  The impact may be less on suspected H5N1-infected 
agricultural samples, for which signed MTAs currently exist.  But 
even for agricultural samples, obtaining export permission can be 
problematic.  The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization 
(FAO), for example, has a large collection of samples with signed 
MTAs. It is waiting for an export permit from the Ministry of 
Agriculture (MOA) to send the samples to reference laboratories. 
FAO has reported delays in getting export permission since its last 
shipment in June 2007.  In a December 18 meeting with FAO and USAID, 
the MOA Director General of Livestock Services Dr. Tjeppy promised 
to meet with the agricultural minister to get permission to export 
the samples. 
 
HUME