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O 010658Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7870
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
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RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2294
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RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1360
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000211 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR G (JKACHTIK), EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS,DRL/MLGA, 
S/P, DRL 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2018 
TAGS: PREL KDEM ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA PLANS ITS OWN INTERNATIONAL DEMOCRACY 
FORUM 
 
REF: A. 07 STATE 169367 
     ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3006 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  A Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) 
contact briefed DepPol/C on GOI plans to host the first 
meeting of what it calls the "Bali Democracy Forum" this 
year.  The details are a bit vague, although the meeting will 
be at the ministerial level and many countries--democratic 
and otherwise (such as Burma)--will be invited.  The contact 
said the ultimate goal was to bring lagging governments up to 
speed with democratic trends.  The GOI is not clear how its 
plan might fit into existing international architecture.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) "DEMOCRACY FORUM" THIS YEAR:  The GOI is beginning to 
float its own democracy initiative.  Umar Hadi, Director for 
Public Diplomacy at DEPLU, met January 31 with DepPol/C and 
briefed him on Indonesia's plans to convene the first meeting 
of what it calls the "Bali Democracy Forum."   Hadi, who is 
known to be close to Foreign Minister Wirajuda, said the 
Indonesian government hoped to hold the ministerial this 
year--sometime between May and October--depending on 
President Yudhoyono's schedule. 
 
¶3.  (C) Hadi said he has already sounded out diplomats from 
Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Qatar and Tunisia, netting 
positive feedback.  New Zealand DCM David Strachan confirmed 
to us February 1 that Hadi had asked him informally if New 
Zealand would like to participate in the first meeting. 
Strachan is checking with Wellington. 
 
¶4.  (C) DepPol/C asked whether the U.S. would be invited to 
participate.  Hadi replied that the Forum would be open to 
all nations.  That said, those which will be part of a core 
"host sponsoring countries" group are still being considered. 
 The GOI wants to achieve a delicate balance of democracies 
and non-democracies, and a North-South mix.  The Davos 
Economic Forum inspired Wirajuda to first propose this 
concept way back in 2002, Hadi commented.  (Note:  GOI 
officials were calling this "Bali Democracy Forum" idea the 
"Asian Democracy Forum" in the past--see ref B.) 
 
¶5.  (C) IT'S ALL A BIT VAGUE:  Hadi was a bit vague on 
details and objectives.  Ministers at the first meeting will 
decide on what democracy issues need to be addressed.  Based 
on these discussions, technical meetings will be held as 
often as need be throughout the year, Hadi remarked. 
Ministers might not reconvene for a couple of years.  Experts 
from throughout the world will be invited to contribute.  For 
example, an emerging democracy could ask the Forum for help 
on how to conduct its elections. 
 
¶6.  (C) Hadi emphasized that the Forum was not in response to 
the Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership (APDP), a USG 
initiative (ref A).  (Note:  Re the APDP, Hadi had no further 
information as to whether or not Indonesia intended to accept 
the USG offer to participate.)  He said the idea as first 
conceived was to bring lagging regimes such as Burma up to 
speed so that they do not drag down ASEAN democracies such as 
Indonesia and the Philippines.  The Forum is actually a way 
to co-opt neighbors such as Burma in an unthreatening 
setting, he said, making clear that the Burmese regime would 
be invited to participate in the Forum.  Hadi was also not 
clear how the GOI plan might fit into existing international 
architecture, such as the Community of Democracies.  DepPol/C 
asked Hadi to keep the USG informed of its efforts and its 
plan to host the Forum this year. 
HUME