VZCZCXRO8617
OO RUEHJS
DE RUEHJA #1832 3081226
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041226Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3721
INFO RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 2560

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001832 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS 
DEPT PASS TO PEACE CORPS 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: EAID USAID PREL PGOV ID
SUBJECT: Ambassador Hume Expresses Concerns on Status of Peace Corps 
Agreement 
 
¶1.  (U) This telegram contains an action request, please see para. 
¶6. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Summary:  Ambassador Hume met with Bunyan Saptomo, 
Director of North and Central American Affairs at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs on November 4 to discuss the remaining issues on 
completing Peace Corps' Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 
Indonesia.  Ambassador Hume expressed concern that Indonesia's 
unwillingness to offer unconditional Administrative and Technical 
(A&T) status to Peace Corps staff not only endangered establishment 
of a Peace Corps program, but also risked endangering bilateral 
cooperation more broadly.  End Summary. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ambassador Hume conveyed to Bunyan that Indonesia's 
unwillingness to offer unconditional A&T status to Peace Corps staff 
imperiled establishment of a Peace Corps program.  Bunyan responded 
that since Peace Corps is not physically attached to the Embassy it 
does not qualify for A&T status, but that collocation with the 
Embassy would qualify it for limited A&T status, absent immunities. 
Ambassador Hume explained that Peace Corps receives A&T status in 
every country in which it operates and never collocates with 
Embassies or Consulates.  He also reminded Bunyan that there are 
numerous other U.S. agencies that have offices apart from the 
Embassy but nonetheless receive A&T status from Indonesia.  The 
Ambassador warned Bunyan that broad application of this new standard 
would strain relations between the U.S. and Indonesia and added that 
newly-appointed Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa would likely bear 
most of the responsibility. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Bunyan responded that the U.S. denied A&T status for their 
commercial and trade offices in Los Angeles and Chicago.  He 
suggested that if the U.S. were to offer reciprocal A&T status to 
these offices, the GOI might reconsider its position on Peace Corps' 
request.  Ambassador Hume told Bunyan that the State Department has 
no record of the GOI ever requesting for these offices to be 
accorded any diplomatic status.  Bunyan then sought to distance the 
GOI's position on Peace Corps from a similar dispute over NAMRU, 
citing the political and public sensitivities specific to 
cooperation in health issues. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Ambassador Hume reiterated Peace Corps position that it 
would be best to not include any definition of "family member" in 
the text of a Peace Corps' MOU.  While the GOI prefers to include a 
restrictive definition (excluding same-sex partners), Ambassador 
Hume explained that the Peace Corps MOU is not the appropriate venue 
for that discussion and policies applied to Peace Corps by the GOI 
should ultimately be consistent with those applied to all USG 
agencies in Indonesia.  Bunyan's response was non-specific, but 
indicated the GOI might reconsider its position. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Peace Corps' return to Indonesia is long overdue. 
However, the longer it takes to finalize these remaining issues, the 
more likely new issues could crop up.  Post's argument to receive 
A&T status for Peace Corps would be stronger if the U.S. offered 
reciprocal status to equivalent Indonesian entities.  We encourage 
the Department to review the standards and policies we apply for 
determining diplomatic status alongside the requests we are making 
of our foreign partners.  We recommend moving quickly to ensure 
completion of the agreement in time for a joint announcement by 
President Obama and President Yudhoyono at the APEC summit in 
Singapore later this month.  A Peace Corps announcement would deepen 
the impact of President Obama's upcoming bilateral with President 
Yudhoyono and lay the groundwork for a successful visit by President 
Obama in 2010.  Ambassador Hume will meet with Foreign Minister 
Natalegawa on November 5.  This meeting is the last opportunity to 
influence these issues at the ministerial level before the 
presidential bilateral at APEC.  Post requests guidance on the 
diplomatic status of Indonesia's commercial offices in Chicago and 
Los Angeles in advance of that meeting.  Post also requests guidance 
on whether Peace Corps accepts the GOI's offer of including a 
housing reimbursement provision in the implementing agreement (not 
the MOU) to offset visa fees. 
 
HUME