VZCZCXRO6211
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1982 3370941
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030941Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3995
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 8039
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1146
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, IO, IO/HR 
(A.OSTERMEIER/C. NEVILLE), DRL/IRF (J. MORALES/N. BADAT), 
NSC FOR D. WALTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KISL UN ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA STILL LIKELY TO SUPPORT OIC IN UN 
DEFAMATION OF RELIGION VOTE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 122637 
 
¶1. (SBU) This message is sensitive but unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Mission urged Indonesian Department of 
Foreign Affairs interlocutors to vote no or abstain from 
the December vote on the draft UN resolution on defamation of 
religion.  Our interlocutors indicated that while Indonesia 
shares the U.S. concern for the freedom of expression, it 
has to be "responsible."  They noted that Indonesia was 
likely to continue to join the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference (OIC) consensus and vote in favor of the 
resolution.  Nonetheless, they said that Indonesia remains 
open to constructive dialogue on how to improve the 
resolution and reduce religious intolerance.  END SUMMARY. 
 
DELIVERING USG POINTS 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche regarding the 
draft convention on religion under consideration in the UN 
Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to Diana Sutikno, Deputy 
Director for Human Rights at the Department of Foreign 
Affairs on December 2 and shared the USG draft Action Plan 
and non-paper with Ms. Sutikno and her colleague Dicky 
Komar, Deputy Director of Civil and Political Rights.  Poloff 
underscored that the draft convention would justify 
censorship and other restrictions on freedom of expression 
and asked that Indonesia vote no or abstain from the vote 
on defamation of religion. 
 
PROPOSING AN ALTERNATIVE 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Poloff explained that the USG understood and shared 
Indonesia's concerns about discrimination and bias-inspired 
violence. 
The United States and other like-minded countries had 
proposed a draft Plan of Action outlining positive steps 
that governments could take to address those issues.  She 
urged Indonesia to support that effort. 
 
INDONESIA STILL LIKELY TO VOTE WITH OIC 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Sutikno took our message on board.  She expressed 
Indonesia's support of the USG's decision to re-engage with 
the UNHRC.  She also noted that the door was not closed for 
improving the OIC-sponsored resolution.  However, she 
clarified that while freedom of expression was important, it 
must be used responsibly and not incite the public to 
violence.  Although she is looking forward to more 
constructive dialogue on how to bridge the gap between OIC 
and US positions, she stated frankly that Indonesia would 
probably again vote with the OIC on the resolution. 
HUME