VZCZCXRO7035
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1058/01 1511106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301106Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9143
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2578
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2702
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1889
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2041
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0991
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0842
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2708
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/BUMED WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001058 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/P, L, OES, G/AIAG, DRL, 
PM 
NSC FOR E.PHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR TBIO PHUM ID
SUBJECT: SENIOR INDONESIAN DIPLOMAT ADDRESSES RANGE OF 
BILATERAL ISSUES 
 
REF: JAKARTA 804 
 
JAKARTA 00001058  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified--Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Charge met with Foreign Department 
Director General Imron Cotan on May 30 to discuss a wide 
range of common issues.  Charge requested improved visa 
treatment for NAMRU personnel during negotiation of MOU, 
queried Indonesian acceptance of an upcoming report of 
Indonesia-East Timor Truth and Friendship Commission (CTF), 
and raised concerns about changed visa treatment of NGOs. 
The possibility emerged during the discussion of compromise 
for the NAMRU MOU regarding diplomatic protection of 
personnel. 
 
¶3.  SUMMARY (Con'd):  Cotan pleaded for U.S. training of Army 
Special Forces (Kopassus), expressed concerns about 
difficulties experienced by Indonesians with common Muslim 
names in getting visas to travel to U.S. (and potential 
negative impact of press exposure of the issue), and 
requested Consular and Interrogation access for Indonesian 
Guantanamo prisoner Hambali.  END SUMMARY. 
 
PROGRESS ON NAMRU VISAS 
 
¶4. (SBU) On May 30, Charge met with Department of Foreign 
Affairs (Deplu) Director General Cotan.  Charge requested the 
meeting in order to raise issues related to NAMRU personnel. 
On May 28, Embassy became aware that Deplu was starting to 
restrict certain NAMRU personnel to visa extensions of two 
months' duration.  Charge asked that NAMRU personnel again 
receive normal visa renewals of 12 months, noting the 
good-faith MOU negotiations currently underway.  Cotan said 
that Deplu would review the matter and likely come up with a 
6-month "extendable" visa pending the MOU negotiations. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Charge raised the point that we understand that some 
NGOs recently experienced changes in the types of visas 
approved for them and asked why.  In discussing NAMRU and NGO 
visa issues, Cotan made clear that his government prefers 
that diplomatic passport holders receive diplomatic visas and 
that service/official passport holders receive A&T visa 
status, while recognizing that it is the right of the sending 
state to determine the type of passport to issue.  He implied 
that the GOI will offer to extend diplomatic status to the 
two top officials at NAMRU and A&T status to the balance of 
the NAMRU U.S. staff, but that it would be "helpful" if the 
NAMRU staff have service passports rather than diplomatic 
passports.  (NOTE: This represents a major step forward, 
since recent comments by Indonesian officials have 
consistently indicated that in all likelihood no diplomatic 
privileges or immunities would be extended to the NAMRU 
staff, other than the director and deputy.)  Cotan also 
indicated an internal Indonesian regulation prohibits the 
practice of issuing privileges and immunities to ordinary 
passport holders, noting that such previous practice had been 
in error. 
 
EAST TIMOR REPORT 
 
¶6. (SBU) Cotan advised that the upcoming report of the CTF 
report would almost certainly be controversial.  He hoped 
that the recommendations would be acceptable to both sides, 
and stressed that Indonesia and Timor Leste are working very 
closely on a number of issues, and that Indonesia supplied 
aircraft for the Timorese prime minister to attend Soeharto's 
funeral. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Cotan stressed President Yudoyono's hope that the 
U.S. military will engage in training Indonesian military 
elements, including Kopassus.  Cotan expressed the 
 
JAKARTA 00001058  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
President's views that it would be a setback for our military 
relationship if training does not occur, urging that the U.S. 
"engage, don't isolate."  Kopassus needs human rights 
training offered by the U.S. and other international 
partners.  He also said Indonesia intends to establish a 
National Defense University, mixing all the armed services. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Cotan noted that he is increasingly hearing of 
difficulties for Indonesians with common Muslim names 
obtaining visas for travel to the U.S.  In response to 
Embassy urging that Indonesians seek visas well in advance of 
travel, he opined that this issue has the potential for 
substantial anti-U.S. sentiment due to focus by the local 
media. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Finally, Cotan referred to the Indonesian desire for 
both Consular and Interrogation access to Indonesian 
Guantanamo prisoner Hambali.  According to Cotan, Indonesian 
authorities need access to him in order to both provide 
consular services, and to obtain information that could be 
used in Indonesian courts against others. 
HEFFERN