VZCZCXRO2337
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #2027/01 3440955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100955Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4103
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 002027 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/R PANDITH 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, DRL, DRL/IRF 
NSC FOR D. WALTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL ID
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO MUSLIM 
COMMUNITIES FARAH PANDITH'S VISIT TO INDONESIA 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Mission Jakarta warmly welcomes your 
visit.  Ten years of political and economic reform have made 
Indonesia democratic, stable, and increasingly confident 
about its leadership role in Southeast Asia.  Indonesia has 
held free and fair elections; has weathered the global 
financial crisis; and is tackling internal security threats. 
President Obama's popularity is high and Indonesia is working 
to improve relations with the U.S. via the developing 
Comprehensive Partnership.  Indonesia is the world's largest 
Muslim-majority nation and is active in international Muslim 
circles.  The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and 
that commitment is largely honored in practice.  END SUMMARY. 
 
BILATERAL RELATIONS CONTINUE TO DEEPEN 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Your visit comes at a turning point in 
U.S.-Indonesia relations.  The GOI views the establishment of 
the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership as a way to deepen 
engagement with the United States across the board on the 
basis of a relationship between true partners.  The success 
of Indonesia's democratization and reform process and its 
inclusion in the G-20 have given the country new confidence. 
This confidence can help the United States work better with 
Indonesia to achieve our aims in Asia and elsewhere. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Under President Yudhoyono, the GOI has made 
significant efforts to play a more prominent and constructive 
role in regional and global affairs.  The Indonesian military 
has taken on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon, Sudan, and the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Yudhoyono has staked out 
an ambitious position putting Indonesia in the front ranks on 
climate change among developing countries.  As home of the 
ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta seeks a greater leadership role in 
ASEAN, and it is succeeding.  The GOI spearheaded efforts to 
enshrine democracy and human rights in the ASEAN Charter. 
Indonesia has played an important but largely 
behind-the-scenes role in encouraging democracy and human 
rights in Burma. 
 
THE COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP 
 
¶5.  (SBU) President Yudhoyono proposed that the U.S. and 
Indonesia launch a Strategic Partnership (later referred to 
as a Comprehensive Partnership) in his November 2008 speech 
in Washington.  Secretary Clinton's visit in February 2009 
began a dialogue with Indonesians about the key elements of 
that partnership.  The absence of a November POTUS visit to 
Jakarta, which Indonesians both inside and outside government 
highly anticipated, has slowed the pace of progress on the 
Partnership but not GOI enthusiasm. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Even without a presidential visit this year, key 
elements of the Comprehensive Partnership are moving forward 
including cooperation on climate change, an Overseas Private 
Investment Corporation (OPIC) incentive agreement, an 
interfaith working group event and, possibly, Indonesian 
training of Afghan police.  Under a Comprehensive 
Partnership, we will strengthen Indonesia's democratic 
institutions and capacity to promote democracy beyond its 
borders. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Partnership will also allow us to expand our 
already robust regional security cooperation and deepen our 
cooperation with the Indonesian military to enhance its 
capability to provide disaster relief and participate in 
international peacekeeping operations.  We will promote the 
people-to-people ties that are critical to the success of our 
Partnership, including expanding education cooperation.  In 
addition to our discussions with the Indonesians on their 
commitments to reduce emissions from deforestation, our 
cooperation is deepening on food security focusing on 
fisheries and on combating emerging and tropical disease 
whose spread will be exacerbated by climate change in this 
region. 
 
ISLAM IN INDONESIA 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority 
nation and eager to promote its image as a religiously 
pluralistic society.  Indonesia's Constitution guarantees 
 
JAKARTA 00002027  002 OF 003 
 
 
freedom of religion, although it officially recognizes only 
five religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, 
Hinduism, and Islam).  Religious freedom is largely 
respected.  Much of the sectarian violence that plagued 
Indonesia in the past, particularly in Sulawesi and the 
Malukus, has declined as religious leaders and local 
authorities have taken steps toward rebuilding and 
reconciliation.  That said, the Islamic sect Ahmadiyya, with 
around 400,000 followers, is prohibited from proselytizing 
and has been declared "deviant" by national decree. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Only Aceh province is governed by Sharia law 
(Islamic jurisprudence).  In September, Aceh passed a law 
that made adultery an offense punishable by stoning.  The law 
is not yet in effect.  In part due to international pressure, 
national officials plan to file a Constitutional appeal.  A 
more moderate Aceh Parliament, installed in October, will 
likely review the law and the Governor has said he will not 
sign nor implement the law.  Local governments in other areas 
of Indonesia have issued as many as 100 Sharia-inspired 
regulations, on issues such as alcohol consumption, gambling, 
and attire, although the regulations are not regularly or 
consistently enforced.  Local human rights groups have urged 
the government to review all Sharia-inspired local ordinances. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Mainstream Islamic political parties have seen 
their support decline in recent elections.   These parties 
still remain influential on the political scene, although 
secular-oriented parties maintain the most influence.  There 
are other small groups.  Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) is one 
of the most active radical Islamist groups in Indonesia.  HTI 
is a transnational movement which advocates the imposition of 
Islamic law and the return of the Islamic "Caliphate."  Its 
support in Indonesia comes primarily from urban middle-class 
intellectuals and university students and it is estimated to 
have around 50,000 active members and 1.5 million 
sympathizers. 
 
INTERFAITH EVENT 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Indonesia proposed and will host the first 
Indonesian - U.S. Interfaith Working Group, January 25-27, in 
Jakarta, promoting the President's goal of "turning dialogue 
into interfaith service."  U/S Burns' counterpart will 
announce this event during Burns' December 10-11 visit to 
Indonesia.  We hope this dialogue will help build cooperative 
networks across faith communities and civil society in our 
countries and the region, leading to future collaboration. 
We want this to be not just a discussion, but to result in 
concrete actions that benefit Indonesia and the U.S. 
Indonesia, as the world's largest Muslim-majority country, 
and one that successfully advances open religious pluralism, 
is an excellent launching point for this kind of dialogue, 
and the GOI has made such dialogues a priority. 
 
OVERCOMING SECURITY THREATS 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Indonesia still faces a terrorism problem.  The 
GOI's response to the July 17 terrorist attacks was swift and 
effective.  While the GOI is pursuing a few remaining 
associates of militant ringleader Noordin Top, the killing of 
eight July 17 operatives, including Top, and the arrest of 11 
others appears to have severely crippled Top's network.  The 
GOI has heightened security nationwide and the INP continues 
to combat terrorism.  Until the July 17 bombings, Indonesia 
experienced three-and-a-half years without a major terrorist 
incident, demonstrating how the GOI's counterterrorism 
efforts reduced the ability of militant groups to carry out 
attacks. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) U.S. assistance has been a component of the GOI's 
success in counter-terrorism strikes.  The Embassy has worked 
to build the investigative support for and forensic 
capabilities of the National Police through numerous 
development programs administered by the Department of 
Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training and 
Assistance Program.  The Indonesian National Police, 
including elements of the Diplomatic Security's 
Anti-Terrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) trained Special Detachment 
 88, has effectively disrupted the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) 
terrorist network.  The USG-funded Attorney General's Task 
Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime has successfully 
prosecuted 64 terrorists, including 43 JI members since 2006. 
 
JAKARTA 00002027  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
WE WELCOME YOU 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Again, we very much welcome you to Indonesia. 
Your trip to Solo, Central Java will provide you an 
opportunity to see a region where Muslims and minority groups 
have markedly improved relations in the past several years 
thanks in part to a dynamic Mayor and other local leadership. 
 Your visit to Jakarta will allow you to meet with key 
Indonesians and others to discuss Muslim engagement, 
religious freedom and other topics salient to the emerging 
Comprehensive Partnership. 
 
HUME