VZCZCXRO7396
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHRN
DE RUEHJA #0722 1001050
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091050Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8617
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHSS/OECD POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1723
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0210
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0277
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4901
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4515
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0076
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPT FOR EEB A/S SULLIVAN 
DEPT FOR EEB/EPPD 
DEPT FOR EAP/EP, EAP/RSP AND EAP/MTS 
PARIS OECD FOR CURT STONE 
SINGAPORE FOR BAKER 
TREASURY FOR BIERY 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL OECD ETRD ID
SUBJECT: OECD DEPUTY SECGEN VISITS INDONESIA 
 
REF: STATE 6031; JAKARTA 238 
 
¶1. Summary.  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD)'s Deputy Secretary General Mari Amano visited 
Indonesia on April 3-4.  Outreach efforts to Indonesia have been 
very positively received by the Government of Indonesia (GOI).  A 
series of outreach visits in 2008 have also found resonance with 
several OECD resident missions, which offered recommendations to 
make OECD "Enhanced Engagement" successful here and are encouraging 
the GOI's involvement. End Summary. 
 
GOI on OECD: Very Positive 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. Embassy Economic officer attended a meeting with visiting OECD 
Deputy Secretary General Mari Amano on April 4 in Jakarta.  Amano 
briefed resident OECD and other missions in Jakarta on progress in 
"Enhanced Engagement" with Indonesia.  Amano noted that his meetings 
with the Government of Indonesia (GOI) were "very, very positive." 
The team met with the key economic ministries and the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  The visiting OECD delegation was pleasantly 
surprised at the GOI's level of understanding of OECD issues.  The 
GOI also expressed appreciation of OECD's interest, giving the 
impression that recognition of Indonesia was "long overdue." 
 
Foreign Minister Supportive 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. Amano felt that Indonesia was still soul searching about its 
global role and its continued position with regard to other 
non-aligned nations.  He expected the economic ministries to welcome 
the OECD but was impressed with Foreign Minister Wirajuda's positive 
and welcoming tone.  Amano left Indonesia with the impression that 
the GOI would soon decide to move forward with formal cooperation. 
Potential areas of cooperation include anti-corruption. 
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono also expressed 
interest in an investment climate review.  A visit from the OECD 
Secretary General is planned for July 9. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Other Enhanced Engagement Outreach Visits 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. On February 22, Mr. Gerry Antioch, Australian Treasury 
representative to the OECD met with OECD and other interested 
missions in Jakarta.  The meeting had robust attendance from nearly 
two dozen missions.  Antioch discussed the possibilities for 
Indonesia, noting that Coordinating Minister Boediono would have the 
lead for the GOI. 
 
¶5. On March 25, Andrew Dean, Deputy Director of the OECD Country 
Studies Branch and his delegation briefed interested Embassies in 
Jakarta on the economic assessment underway.  The OECD will examine 
drivers of growth specifically market competition and labor markets. 
 A product market regulation questionnaire will help develop a 
foreign direct investment (FDI) restrictiveness indicator for 
comparison with other countries.  The OECD team had also carefully 
examined studies done by the International Monetary Fund, the World 
Bank, local economic think tanks and others.  The OECD team urged 
member missions to encourage GOI participation in the process to 
understand how the OECD methodology could add value as distinct from 
other studies.  The Embassies of Mexico and South Korea to Indonesia 
also said they would share with the GOI the benefits from their 
early engagement with the OECD when their economies were much 
smaller. 
 
HUME