VZCZCXRO1586
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #2080/01 3550839
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210839Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4173
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002080 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR P (L.ROSENBERGER), G, S/P, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, 
EAP/RSP, DRL (C.CAMPONOVO) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP PREL KDEM XB XD XF
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS ADDRESSES SECOND BALI DEMOCRACY FORUM 
 
REF: 2008 JAKARTA 2266 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY: In his statement as chair of the U.S. 
delegation to the second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), U/S 
Burns 
conveyed strong U.S. support for Indonesia's leadership in 
promoting regional democratization.  The December 10-11 
Forum, which was opened by President Yudhoyono and co-chair 
Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama, was attended by 
representatives from 36 Asian countries and 13 observer 
nations.  In their remarks, both President Yudhoyono and FM 
Natalegawa emphasized that democracy and economic development 
are intertwined.  Participating nations commended the open 
and frank discussions and expressed confidence in the BDF 
process of sharing experiences.  The forum concluded with a 
call for the BDF's programming arm, the Institute for Peace 
and Democracy, to provide training, election visits, 
policy-oriented research and field studies to advance the 
democratic process throughout Asia.  END SUMMARY. 
 
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO AND FM NATALEGAWA: DEMOCRACY AND 
DEVELOPMENT ARE INTERTWINED 
 
¶2.  (U) Both President Yudhoyono and Foreign Minister 
Natalegawa emphasized in their December 10 opening remarks to 
the second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) that democracy and 
economic development are intertwined.  President Yudhoyono 
stated that development without democracy would go limp and 
democracy without development would be meaningless. 
Yudhoyono noted that every nation has a unique historical 
background and process of development.  Natalegawa said that 
the democratic process must be anchored in the rule of law in 
order to be sustainable.  He also stressed the importance of 
access to information in building a sense of public 
participation in and ownership of democracy. 
 
U/S BURNS: DEMOCRACY IS NOT JUST A WESTERN CONCEPT; IT IS 
UNIVERSAL 
 
¶3.  (U) Under Secretary Bill Burns led the U.S. observer 
delegation to the BDF.  During his December 10 intervention 
at the BDF leaders' session and general debate, U/S Burns 
conveyed the United States' support for the BDF, and 
highlighted the important example that Indonesia provides for 
regional democratization efforts.  U/S Burns underscored that 
core values are at the heart of every democracy, including 
basic human rights.  He pointed out that Asian countries 
have/are adopting these principles, while still respecting 
local traditions, proving democracy is not just a Western 
concept; it is universal.  U/S Burns discussed the evolution 
of democracy in the United States, and agreed with Foreign 
Minister Natalegawa that the BDF's greatest strength was that 
it brought together countries at different points in their 
democratic evolution to learn from one another. 
 
¶4.  (U) U/S Burns stressed the importance of acknowledging 
and correcting past problems as vital to a democracy.  He 
emphasized that strong civil societies and unfettered media 
are important to further develop democratic processes and can 
serve as the moral compass for governments. U/S Burns 
stressed that the United States is committed to working with 
new alliances and partnerships, rising powers, and developing 
countries in Asia to build modern political institutions that 
can help ensure stability and lasting prosperity. 
 
¶5.  (U) The United States hopes that the BDF, which promotes 
peaceful transition to democracy, can be instrumental in 
encouraging reform in places like Burma and in building the 
capacity of Asian countries to promote reform from within. 
The BDF, U/S Burns asserted, provides countries in the region 
with a historic opportunity to learn from one another, take 
responsibility, turn words into action, and build a future of 
hope and promise for their children.  U/S Burns urged the BDF 
and its programming arm, the Institute for Peace and 
Democracy, to seize this opportunity by undertaking concrete 
actions to promote democratic reforms throughout the region. 
 
PARTICIPANTS 
 
¶6.  (U) The second Forum, co-chaired by Japanese Prime 
Minister Hatoyama, was attended by 36 Asian countries and 13 
observer nations. (Note: As reported reftel, last year 32 
Asian countries and 7 observer nations, including the United 
States, participated.)  All of the ASEAN countries, including 
Burma, sent delegations as well as Afghanistan, China, India, 
 
JAKARTA 00002080  002 OF 002 
 
 
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria among 
others.  Observer nations included the United States, Canada, 
Norway, Sweden and the U.K.  Additionally, numerous of NGOs 
and think tanks from around the region participated in the 
December 11 interactive sessions. 
 
OPEN AND FRANK DISCUSSIONS 
 
¶7.  (U) The participants generally agreed that democracy can 
take different forms and often evolves through various 
stages, and that this variety should be cherished and 
respected.  They acknowledged that for this reason it was 
important that common features of democracy such as freedom 
of expression, rule of law and human rights be upheld 
throughout the process of  democratization.  The leaders 
underscored the need for collective efforts to intensify 
capacity building in the field of democracy through, inter 
alia, sharing of experiences and best practices in 
strengthening national institutions, including those involved 
in the election process.  The leaders commended the GOI for 
convening a forum in which all Asian nations were invited to 
participate and share their concerns and experiences, 
regardless of their stage of democratic development. 
 
NEXT STEPS 
 
¶8.  (U) BDF II closed with a call for the Institute of Peace 
and Democracy (IPD) to move forward with programs which were 
in line with the participants' priority areas of cooperation. 
 Participants asked that these activities, including 
training, election visits, policy-oriented research and field 
studies to advance the democratic process in Asia, be 
initiated before the convening of the third BDF on December 
10-11, 2010.  Priority areas of cooperation focused on the 
link between democracy and the rule of law; and, democracy in 
the information age.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is 
hopeful that once the IPD's legal status is resolved, IPD 
will be able to work directly with foreign donors.  (Note: 
Currently all IPD programs are managed by the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  End Note.) 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: U/S Burns' attendance at the BDF conveyed 
strong, high-level U.S. support for one of Indonesia's key 
efforts to assume a greater leadership role in the region. 
GOI interlocutors expressed appreciation for this support 
throughout U/S Burns' visit, and for our message of support 
for both the Bali Democracy Forum and for Indonesia's role as 
a regional leader. End Comment. 
 
¶10.  (U) U/S Burns cleared this message. 
 
OSIUS