VZCZCXRO1385
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0632 0970946
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070946Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2064
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1028
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7883
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000632 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, OES 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/ABHAT/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
NSC FOR HAROLD VARMUS AND CEQ 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO TSPL SENV KGHG PREL ID
SUBJECT: U.S.-Indonesia: Moving Ahead with Health Collaboration 
 
¶1. (SBU) During an April 6 meeting with Ambassador Hume, Dr. Emil 
Salim, Environmental Advisor to President Yudhoyono, urged that the 
United States and Indonesia expand health collaboration under a new 
bilateral science and technology agreement.  Salim acknowledged that 
a stable bilateral relationship is essential for expanded 
collaboration on health, particularly tropical infectious diseases. 
He suggested that an umbrella S&T Agreement could be the first step 
to resolving the issue of the Naval Medical Research Unit-2 
(NAMRU-2) in Jakarta. 
 
¶2. (U) Climate change and its impact on the incidence of disease is 
yet another pressing reason, Salim noted, for a heightened focus on 
health.  He emphasized that Indonesia, as a tropical and 
archipelagic country, is especially vulnerable to the impacts of 
climate change, including on health.  Jakarta therefore has a clear 
self-interest in advancing medical research on infectious diseases 
and concluding an umbrella science and technology (S&T) Agreement 
with the United States. 
 
¶3. (SBU) A bilateral S&T Agreement, Salim said, could provide the 
basis for resolving the controversy over NAMRU-2 and its infectious 
diseases research.  There is a misperception among some Indonesians 
about NAMRU-2's work, he noted, and the key is to eliminate their 
"suspicions."  Salim recommended formally placing the work of 
NAMRU-2 under the Ministry of Research and Technology once we have a 
bilateral S&T Agreement.  Doing so, Salim stated, would remove the 
political "burden" from the Ministry of Health.  Packaging NAMRU-2's 
work as part of an overarching collaborative endeavor on scientific 
research under the Ministry of Research's responsibility, he 
suggested, could go a long way towards mitigating domestic 
sensitivities. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Salim revealed that he has been thinking about the NAMRU-2 
issue and discussing it with other Indonesians for some time.  He 
also implied that President Yudhoyono is keen to enhance 
collaboration on health.  Salim welcomed Ambassador Hume's 
suggestions on other ways to desensitize the issue, including 
creating a bi-national board for NAMRU-2 and collaborating to 
establish a center for health/medicine that would also conduct the 
clinical research on infectious diseases. 
 
HUME