VZCZCXRO2355
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1421/01 2391209
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271209Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3177
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7939
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001421 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR P, SECC, EAP/MTS, AND OES 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG TSPL PREL PGOV ID
SUBJECT: Views on Environment for POTUS Visit from Indonesia 
Presidential Palace 
 
REF: Jakarta 1352 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Indonesia Presidential Advisor on Environment Emil 
Salim and Secretary to the Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare 
Indroyono Soesilo strongly advocate an ambitious agenda for the 
upcoming POTUS visit, including: 
 
-- Fisheries-based food security initiative through establishing a 
Joint Institute on Sustainable Ocean Fisheries (concept description 
septel) 
-- New international and domestic forestry and peat initiatives 
-- Concluding the S&T agreement 
-- Finishing permit approvals for NOAA's Okeanos Explorer visit as 
the first concrete S&T item 
-- Addressing technical capacity shortfalls and pricing advice on 
geothermal and renewable energy 
-- Potential GOI counterparts for a Bi-national Commission on 
Environment Management and Climate Change. 
 
Post will continue exploring these ideas with Indonesian 
counterparts. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The DCM met separately with Salim and Soesilo August 25 and 
26, respectively.  Salim and Soesilo noted that the GOI has focused 
heavily on climate adaptation given expectations that Copenhagen 
will fail to produce an international agreement.  Salim noted that 
any U.S. partnership should feature science cooperation and 
technical capacity building, given U.S. expertise and Indonesian 
needs to address the environment.  He welcomed President Obama's on 
science exchange and linkages, noting that this provides an 
opportunity to highlight how Islam can bring peaceful benefits to 
the global community.  Soesilo expressed enthusiasm to champion 
cooperation on new fisheries initiatives and committed to lobbying 
senior officials in the GOI to quickly finalize the S&T agreement. 
End Summary. 
 
Food Security/Climate Adaptation - a Fisheries Institute 
-------------------------------- ----------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Salim commented that Indonesia is bracing for a poor 
outcome at Copenhagen this December.  However, Indonesia and the 
United States could make progress on climate change adaptation, 
which has been the neglected step-child next to mitigation.  For 
example, Salim pointed out Indonesia's marine biodiversity is 
intimately tied to its food security, but few are focused on oceans 
and fisheries despite the potential impacts of climate change.  The 
DCM recalled Indonesia's leadership in the World Ocean Conference 
(WOC) and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), in which adaptation and 
food security were key themes.  Salim stated that fisheries-based 
food security would be a practical area of cooperation on climate 
change adaptation given that Indonesia hosts the world's greatest 
marine biodiversity and 65% of its population relies on oceans for 
their livelihoods.  Salim agreed that scientific collaboration based 
out of a joint institute on sustainable ocean fisheries has the 
potential for joint presidential endorsement during the POTUS 
visit. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Soesilo, a 20-year veteran of the fisheries and natural 
resource ministries, embraced the concept and committed to explore 
the initiative.  He suggested consideration of housing such a new 
joint collaboration where Indonesia has existing facilities, and 
where transportation is relatively convenient so that the platform 
could promote international cooperation.  As an initial step, he 
offered to personally lead a fact-finding mission for the Embassy. 
He outlined potential sites in Bali where Indonesia has already 
established an oceans observation center on three hectares of land 
and a separate "world class" fisheries institute with participation 
from scientists from Japan, Australia and Denmark focusing on 
culturing of fish species, including grouper and tuna.  He also 
urged a USG team to come to Indonesia to explore the opportunities 
and also committed to sending an Indonesian team to the U.S. to work 
on the specifics of a joint institute. 
 
U.S. Support for Oceans in Copenhagen Draft 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Salim also noted that through the CTI and WOC, Indonesia 
has championed the inclusion of oceans into the international 
climate discussion as a fundamental component.  Soesilo requested 
that the U.S. support the inclusion in the final Copenhagen document 
of no fewer than the currently drafted 22 paragraphs that refer to 
oceans. 
 
Forests and Peat - More Support Needed 
-------------------------------------- 
 
JAKARTA 00001421  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
6.(SBU) Regarding the question of what Indonesia coud do in 
advance on Copenhagen to reduce carbon eissions, Salim suggested 
that the U.S. support th idea that Indonesia take a leadership 
position o create a "Peat 5," similar to the "Forest 11" 
nternational sub-group.  The purpose, he explained is to focus 
attention on the importance of peatin global GHG mitigation and 
ultimately bring ecoomic value to peat so that countries would 
protet critical peat lands.  The DCM asked if PresidentYudhoyono 
could announce  a new direction of limiing plantation crops in 
Indonesia to only previosly degraded land.  He said this is 
possible but hat President Yudhoyono would need to be acclimate to 
the idea, as well as to the "Peat 5" idea.  e added that a U.S. 
supp ort of the idea expresse directly to President Yudhoyono would 
help. 
 
. (SBU) Salim urged U.S. contribution to the forestpeat 
partnership to take the form of scientific nd technical assistance 
- Indonesia does not have a single peat expert.  Salim said all this 
could lead to broader global cooperation during the United Nations 
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in 
Copenhagen this December, and beyond. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Both Salim and Soesilo agreed that there would be value in 
replicating the recently concluded Tropical Forest Conservation Act 
(TFCA) agreement for Sumatra in other places in Indonesia, like 
Papua.  Salim pointed out that Papua has a champion of the 
environment in its governor, which makes successful environment 
cooperation possible.  He also mentioned Kalimantan as another 
possible site.  Soesilo saw potential in a second TFCA in that it 
could be a relatively uncomplicated undertaking. 
 
Science Capacity Building, S&T Agreement, Okeanos, IUC 
-------------------------- --------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Salim stressed that Indonesia needs extensive scientific 
research and capacity building to address both long-term adaptation 
and mitigation challenges.  Salim admitted that Indonesia has too 
little technical capacity to adequately undertake coastal 
vulnerability assessments and infrastructure planning for climate 
change.  "You [the U.S.] have the brains," Salim acknowledged, and 
reiterated the importance of education and scientific exchange as a 
component of the Indonesia-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership.  The more 
of this, the better, because of Indonesia's immense need for more 
engineers, more scientists -- the human resources essential to 
prepare the country for climate change. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Regarding the bilateral science and technology agreement 
currently under negotiation, Soesilo noted that it would be shameful 
for the umbrella agreement to be held hostage by any of the 
remaining three areas of contention: IPR, Material Transfer 
Agreement (MTA), and taxation.  Soesilo pointed out that the science 
community in Indonesia recognizes the benefits of cooperation and 
desperately wants to deepen joint activities.  During the meeting 
with the DCM, he stopped briefly to contact the Minister of Research 
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge finalization of the 
agreement.  The DCM noted that the issuance of the research permit 
in advance of the POTUS visit for NOAA's Okeanos Explorer could be 
the first substantial item of cooperation under an umbrella S&T 
agreement.  Soesilo noted that the Indonesian cabinet agreed in 
principle to the visit of the Okeanos, and that there should be no 
insurmountable issues, even security-related.  He asked to be kept 
informed of the progress.  The DCM also updated Soesilo regarding 
the status of negotiations with the Ministry of Health regarding 
NAMRU-2 and the establishment of the Indonesia-U.S. Joint Medical 
Research Center (IUC). 
 
Renewable Energy - Geothermal 
----------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Salim also welcomed USG assistance on identifying 
obstacles to developing renewable energy, particularly geothermal. 
He noted this sector as central to Indonesian's priority to reduce 
reliance on coal and its associated GHG emissions.  The DCM 
mentioned that the Department of Energy, U.S. Export-Import Bank and 
Trade Development Authority are seriously looking at how to support 
geothermal development in Indonesia, and provided a detailed e-mail 
update of activities subsequent to the meeting. 
 
Future Coordination through a Bi-National Commission 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Salim appreciated the wide array of USG activities on 
environment and science in Indonesia.  A bi-national, interagency 
commission that met regularly to advance our environmental and 
 
JAKARTA 00001421  003 OF 003 
 
 
climate cooperation -- both bilaterally and internationally -- could 
be useful.  He advised that if climate is the focus, the National 
Climate Change Council (NCCC) would be the natural counterpart. 
However, he cautioned that the NCCC is plagued by a serious lack of 
technical capacity.  If project execution is the focus, the National 
Planning Agency (Bappenas) would be a better counterpart because it 
has leverage over other ministries and agencies in Indonesia. 
Similarly, Soesilo noted that NCCC is fine for discussions related 
to Copenhagen, but that NCCC and Bappenas together would make for 
more robust environment cooperation.  He explained that the NCCC 
structure features President Yudhoyono as chair with an Executive 
Council of Ministers, including Bappenas, at the second level.  The 
Executive Chairman is Rachmat Witoler in his personal capacity, so 
the next Environment Minister will not occupy that seat. 
 
HUME