VZCZCXRO2718
PP RUEHDT RUEHPT
DE RUEHBY #0995/01 3130458
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 090458Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2225
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9632
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3726
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0211
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1202
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0656
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 5556
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 1809
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 5032
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 5033
RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6767
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2033

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 000995 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/ANP, PRM AND SA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2019 
TAGS: PREF SMIG PHUM ID AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA-INDONESIA: MOVING BEYOND ASYLUM SEEKERS 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 1793 
     ¶B. CANBERRA 949 
     ¶C. CANBERRA 945 
     ¶D. CANBERRA 934 
 
Classified By: Political/Economic Counselor Edgard Kagan, for reasons 1 
.4 (b),(d) 
 
¶1. (C/NF) Summary: During a recent visit to Jakarta, Prime 
Minister Rudd told Indonesian President Yudhoyono that 
Australia is committed to working with Indonesia on a number 
of regional and global issues.  Australia believes Indonesia 
sees itself as a leading regional actor that wants to be more 
engaged in the international community but recognizes its 
capacity limitations.  Rudd and Yudhoyono agreed to work 
together to find solutions to the current asylum seeker issue 
(reftels) as well as the broader people smuggling problem. 
Australia is looking to host President Yudhoyono for a more 
substantive bilateral meeting sometime in late November, 
after - it hopes - the asylum seeker issue has quieted.  End 
Summary. 
 
Opportunities for Engagement 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C/NF) Prime Minister and Cabinet International Division 
First Assistant Secretary Patrick Suckling said that Rudd 
told Yudhoyono during Rudd's recent Jakarta visit that 
Australia wanted to take its relationship to the next level, 
including signing a free trade agreement and building on the 
2006 Lombok Treaty to expand security and counterterrorism 
cooperation.  Australia is very happy with the great strides 
in the bilateral relationship and wants to support Indonesia 
to make sure it continues to be a valuable player in the 
region.  Suckling, who accompanied Rudd to Jakarta, said 
Indonesia sees itself as a growing power that is moving 
beyond ASEAN.  According to Suckling, Indonesia wants to be 
constructive on substantive issues including climate change 
and the G20 but it does not have the institutional capacity 
to implement policy changes.  It would need help from 
Australia, the U.S. and others in the international 
community.  Australia would like to see greater 
U.S.-Indonesian engagement.  Suckling said Rudd sees 
Indonesia as an emerging market counterweight to China and 
India. 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Suckling described the recent high profile asylum 
seeker issue as one in which Indonesia needs support from the 
international community.  Australia believes the 
international community needs to address the problem more 
comprehensively - to work with countries of origins (Sri 
Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq) to ease pressures that motivate 
people to leave, and with countries of transit to close down 
smuggling networks. 
 
Yudhoyono to Visit Australia 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) Dave Sharma, Indonesia desk director at the 
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told us that 
President Yudhoyono will likely visit Australia in late 
November, although no public announcement has been made. 
Sharma indicated the agenda would include the free trade 
agreement, climate change and possibly more Australian 
assistance to strengthen the Indonesian education system and 
electoral process.  The asylum seeker issue will also be 
discussed, but Sharma hoped the current domestic political 
fracas would ebb by late November so that the two countries 
could get on with real business. 
Qcould get on with real business. 
 
Bilateral Relationship 
Will Weather this Storm 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/NF) Comment: Relations between Australia and Indonesia 
have deepened significantly in the last few years and 
Australia is grateful for Indonesia's increased cooperation. 
The asylum seeker issue represents more of a hot button 
domestic political issue - driven by an opposition party 
 
CANBERRA 00000995  002 OF 002 
 
 
searching for an issue on which to criticize the government - 
than a real problem in the bilateral relationship.  The 
absolute number of asylum seekers, roughly 1800 in 2009, 
remains very small compared to overall immigration numbers. 
While the domestic Australian debate over asylum seekers has 
placed Prime Minister Rudd in a political fix, it will not 
change Canberra's commitment to further strengthening its 
relationship with Jakarta.  End Comment. 
 
CLUNE