VZCZCXRO3002
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1199/01 1710822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190822Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9337
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHDC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/BUMED WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2659
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1027
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1933
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2116
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2756
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2753
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0895
RULSAAV/NAVMEDRSCHCEN SILVER SPRING MD
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR P, EAP, L, OES, G/AIAG, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP 
NSC FOR E.PHU 
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP P.IPSEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR TBIO AMED ID
SUBJECT: NAVAL MEDICAL RESEARCH UNIT -- INDONESIA READY TO 
NEGOTIATE 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 46000 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 1058 
     ¶C. JAKARTA 3262 AND PREVIOUS 
 
JAKARTA 00001199  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified--Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On June 16, Ambassador Hume and Eddy 
Pratomo, Director General for Treaties and Legal Affairs at 
the Indonesian Department of Foreign Relations, discussed the 
way ahead on the negotiation of a new Memorandum of 
Understanding for U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit Two 
(NAMRU-2) in Jakarta.  Responding to the latest U.S.-proposed 
draft text (ref C), Pratomo said status of personnel, text 
for a material transfer agreement, transfer of technology and 
duration required further discussion.  Ambassador said 
Embassy Jakarta was ready to resume negotiations but made 
clear U.S. personnel must continue to have administrative and 
technical (A&T) status.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Pratomo said the Indonesian interagency review of 
the most recent U.S.-proposed text had identified four 
substantive issues that needed further discussion.  Indonesia 
was prepared to hold the negotiations during the remainder of 
June or early July.  There were also some minor questions of 
wording and terminology to resolve.  The four substantive 
issues were: 
 
-- Status of Personnel:  Pratomo did not go into detail but 
indicated there still were differences between the U.S. and 
Indonesian positions.  (Note:  So far there are two GOI 
views:  1) granting A&T status and attendant privileges and 
immunities only to the two most senior officials, consistent 
with the Indonesia-proposed text; and 2) the much more 
favorable option, raised by SG Cotan ref B, of granting 
diplomatic status to the top two officials and A&T status to 
the rest, provided their passports were changed from 
diplomatic to official); 
 
-- Text for a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA):  NAMRU-2's 
procedures had to be consistent with Law No. 4 of 2006 on the 
transfer of specimens in and from Indonesia, which required 
use of a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA); 
 
-- Transfer of Technology:  Indonesia wanted to ensure that 
NAMRU-2's expertise would be shared with Indonesian 
scientists and researchers; 
 
-- Duration:  Indonesia wanted to limit the duration of the 
agreement to five years, renewable by the parties for five 
years, so that any changes based on practice could be 
factored in more quickly. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador said Embassy Jakarta was prepared to 
consider the Indonesian proposals and wanted to proceed with 
negotiations as soon as possible.  He emphasized, however, 
that NAMRU laboratories elsewhere had a more cooperative 
relationship with respective host countries than was the case 
in Indonesia, and that this was due in part to the 
nationalist fervor that had been whipped up by the Indonesian 
Minister of Health.  Attacks with no basis in fact, such as 
the Minister had made repeatedly in the Indonesian press, 
were counterproductive to cooperation.  Indonesia would 
benefit more in the transfer of NAMRU-2's expertise if 
Indonesia increased its cooperation with NAMRU-2.  Eight-five 
percent of the researchers at NAMRU-2 were Indonesians, and 
Indonesian students were being trained in research at 
NAMRU-2. 
 
¶5. (SBU) On status, the Ambassador said, the United States 
had some flexibility but would not accept less than the 
 
JAKARTA 00001199  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
equivalent of A&T status, and passports issued to NAMRU-2 
U.S. personnel would continue to be official or diplomatic. 
Regarding an MTA, Ambassador pointed out that NAMRU-2 had in 
the past transferred samples only at the written request of 
the Indonesian Department of Health.  Current practice was 
therefore already consistent with Indonesian law.  It was 
important to formulate this provision in the NAMRU-2 
agreement in such a way that it did not become a point of 
reference for other negotiations regarding sample sharing. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Pratomo thanked the Ambassador for his remarks and 
said he would report the outcome of the discussion directly 
to Foreign Minister Wirajuda. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Mission is seeking a mutually acceptable date during 
the last week of June or the first week of July for 
negotiations. 
 
HUME