VZCZCXRO4883
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0529 0740939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 140939Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8338
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2180
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2427
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1673
RULSAAV/NAVMEDRSCHCEN SILVER SPRING MD
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/BUMED WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000529 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, L, OES, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR TBIO AMED ID
SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST RE U.S. NAVAL MEDICAL RESEARCH UNIT 
 
REF: A. EAP/MTS - JAKARTA EMAIL 
     ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3262 
 
¶1.  (U) This is an Action Request -- Please see Para 6. 
 
¶2.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶3.  (U) Ref B provided Mission recommendations on how to 
proceed with the next phase of negotiations on the draft MOU 
for the U.S. Naval Medical Research (NAMRU-2) in Jakarta.  We 
look forward to a response to this message.  We request 
cleared guidance on the issues raised so that we may proceed 
with the next round of negotiations. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) We are aware that Washington agencies are carefully 
reviewing the text and our recommendations.  Ref A indicates 
that most of the issues that we highlighted in Ref B are 
close to resolution.  One key exception is the issue of 
sample sharing/specimens.  In Washington's consideration of 
this issue, it must keep in mind that NAMRU operates in 
Indonesia and, therefore, must abide by Indonesian law and 
regulation.  We recommend the following straightforward 
language: 
 
"NAMRU-2 agrees to follow all Indonesian laws and regulations 
regarding the export and import of biological specimens." 
 
¶5.  (SBU) We do not believe U.S. agreement to this sentence 
in the NAMRU context prejudices our position in the WHO 
global network negotiations.  Our language in no way suggests 
that NAMRU would be forced to sign a Material Transfer 
Agreement, as the GOI is pushing in the WHO context.  If the 
GOI requires NAMRU to sign an MTA before shipping Indonesian 
AI samples to a WHO lab, then NAMRU would have the option not 
to ship the samples, thereby honoring our position. 
 
¶6. (SBU) If we were to resist language pledging that NAMRU 
will honor Indonesian law, not only would the negotiations 
fail, but NAMRU's continued presence in Indonesia would be 
increasingly called into question.  Some elements here are 
already suspicious of NAMRU and a negotiating position 
resisting the language in this sentence would feed those 
suspicions. 
 
¶7.  (U) ACTION REQUEST:  We request Washington's 
interagency-cleared guidance in the near future on sample 
sharing and other areas. 
 
HUME