VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #1499/01 2200538
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 070538Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9724
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8499
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2869
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0610
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2486
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3231
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4794
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 6314
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2325
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2922
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001499 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/EP, OES/IHB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER TBIO EAGR APECO ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA: EXPANSION OF APEC FOOD DEFENSE PILOT 
PROJECTS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 83232 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Embassy Jakarta does not consider 
Indonesia a good candidate for the expansion of the 
APEC Food Defense pilot project.  Food defense is 
not a government of Indonesia (GOI) priority.  The 
USG and GOI have very good counter-terrorism 
cooperation that is unlikely to be appreciably 
affected by expansion of the APEC Food Defense 
pilot project to Indonesia.  Embassy also believes 
a program of this kind may be politically sensitive 
now, given difficult USG-GOI negotiations on two 
high-profile issues involving cooperative 
activities.  End summary. 
 
GOI CT EFFORTS FOCUSED ON HALTING TERRORIST OPS, 
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT ON OTHER USG PRIORITIES, 
INCLUDING CTF 
------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The GOI has successfully focused its 
CT efforts and resources on disrupting terrorist 
operations in Indonesia.  Apprehending terrorists 
and countering efforts to radicalize parts of 
society remain central GOI CT priorities. 
USG-GOI cooperation on these CT efforts has been 
very good and highly productive.  There remain 
challenges, however, in encouraging the GOI to 
expand its efforts to address other USG priorities, 
including countering terrorism finance and fully 
implementing UNSC designations, activities on 
which the GOI has not yet placed a high priority. 
 
 
POLITICAL SENSITIVITIES OVER HIGH-PROFILE ISSUES 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Two high-profile issues involving health 
and scientific cooperation have resulted in acute 
political sensitivities in some quarters of the 
GOI.  First, the USG has been engaged in difficult 
negotiations with the GOI relating to the 
continuation of operations of the Naval Medical 
Research facility (NAMRU-2) in Jakarta.  Secondly, 
the USG continues extensive negotiations with the 
GOI to restore critical sample sharing relating to 
Indonesia's serious avian influenza outbreak. 
A key GOI interlocutor on both these issues, 
the Health Minister, recently sought to limit 
scientific cooperation with numerous international 
partners.  Embassy concludes that some GOI ministries, 
notably the Ministry of Health, would not be 
receptive to a Food Defense pilot project in 
Indonesia at this time.  Furthermore, both the 
NAMRU and AI sample sharing negotiations 
require significant Embassy resources, limiting 
resources available to undertake other activities. 
 
GOI FOCUS ON FOOD SECURITY AND FOOD SAFETY 
RATHER THAN FOOD DEFENSE 
------------------------ 
 
4.(SBU) Indonesia, like many developing nations, 
has been hit hard by recent substantial hikes 
in food prices.  With millions of citizens 
at or near the poverty line and spending 
over half their income on food, food security 
is a high GOI priority.  Growing hunger and 
malnutrition have prompted the GOI to prioritize 
efforts to increase domestic food production 
and to distribute food aid and targeted monetary 
assistance to poor Indonesians to help them 
cope with higher food prices.  The GOI also 
continues to struggle with food safety issues. 
While there has been some interest in food 
defense expressed by a few GOI interlocutors, 
there are few officials focused on the issue. 
When Embassy Jakarta has sent GOI officials 
 
to workshops on the subject, participation 
has been limited to mid-level and lower-level 
officials. 
 
 
SPS DIFFICULTIES, LIMITED COOPERATION BETWEEN 
PRIVATE SECTOR AND SOME GOI MINISTRIES 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Other factors which do not support 
Indonesia's selection as a site for pilot project 
expansion at this time include the GOI's 
tendency to use SPS issues as opportunities 
to restrict imports.  The Ministry of Agriculture 
and Badan POM (FDA-equivalent) do not have a good 
record of accomplishment in working with the private 
sector.  Frequently GOI regulations place additional 
burdens on businesses and traders that needlessly 
drive up the cost of agricultural goods and food. 
 
MARKET SIZE 
----------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The U.S. is an important export destination 
for Indonesian food and agricultural goods.  U.S. 
imports of agricultural, forestry and fishery 
products from Indonesia totaled $3.4 billion 
in 2007.  U.S. exports to Indonesia totaled 
$1.6 billion, making it the tenth-largest 
export market for these goods. 
 
 
 
HUME