VZCZCXRO9183
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0064/01 0151002
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151002Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4296
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0002
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3116
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6018
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3701
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 5438
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DOD WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, STAS, OES/STC, S/ECC, OES/EGC, AND R/ECA 
DEPT PASS TO OSTP JASON RAO 
BANGKOK FOR RDM/A 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV TSPL TBIO EAID KGHG ID
SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH HEALTH MINISTER ENDANG ON 
NAMRU-2 
 
¶1. (U)  This message is Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please handle 
accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (U) This message contains an ACTION REQUEST.  Please see 
paragraph 10. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) SUMMARY: In a January 14 meeting, Ambassador Hume told 
Health Minister Endang that the USG wanted to send a negotiating 
team to Jakarta in order to resolve outstanding issues regarding the 
proposed Indonesia-United States Center for Biomedical and Public 
Health research (IUC).  He explained that we had to resolve the 
issue by mid-February given the GOI's extension of visas for U.S. 
Navy personnel currently assigned to NAMRU-2 until March 15. 
Because of this compressed timeframe, the Ambassador proposed that 
the delegation arrive in early February.  Minister Endang welcomed a 
USG negotiating team and said that Indonesia wanted to find a way 
forward.  She cautioned that some sensitive issues remained, most 
notably the continued participation of U.S. Navy personnel in the 
IUC, but stressed that Indonesia wanted to find a way ahead.  In a 
separate conversation, a key presidential advisor welcomed the 
delegation and said the GOI was considering creative options that 
might still allow U.S. Navy participation.  He also suggested that 
the Secretary and FM Natalegawa discuss the matter.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Ambassador Hume and Embassy Jakarta's interagency health 
team met January 14 with Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih 
and GOI interagency officials to discuss the way forward on the IUC. 
 The Ambassador noted that President Obama and President Yudhoyono 
had reiterated the importance of deepening U.S.-Indonesia health 
cooperation when they met in Singapore on the margins of APEC.  The 
USG had welcomed former Health Minister Supari's commitment to 
launch the IUC when she met Secretary Sebelius in Washington in 
September.  We now need to find a way to continue that progress and 
make the IUC a reality. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Ambassador explained that the GOI's decision to extend 
visas for personnel currently assigned to the U.S. Navy Medical 
Research Unit (NAMRU-2) until March 15 gave us little time.   He 
proposed that the USG send an interagency negotiating team to 
Jakarta in early February to try to reach agreement on issues that 
remained outstanding and to find a way to launch the IUC.  Given the 
reality of personnel planning and other practical matters, the 
Ambassador noted that the USG would have to reach a decision on the 
continued presence of NAMRU-2 personnel in Indonesia by 
mid-February. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Minister Endang agreed that deepening health cooperation 
was important and said that the GOI wanted to find a way ahead.  She 
said the GOI would welcome a negotiating team in early February to 
pursue the matter.  However, Minister Endang noted the sentiment of 
the legislature (DPR), NGOs and media and said that the continued 
presence of U.S. Navy personnel was extremely sensitive.  The 
Cabinet had already discussed the matter and Minister Endang said it 
would be very difficult to resolve. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Ambassador Hume explained that the Navy had funding and 
personnel that were not available to other USG agencies.  If the 
Navy did not participate in the IUC, those resources and personnel 
would disappear.  Endang did not appear aware of this fact.  (Note: 
GOI officials have persistently held the mistaken view that the USG 
could transfer funding that currently supports U.S. Navy operations 
at NAMRU-2 for use by another USG agency.)  Endang said we should 
make an effort to resolve the remaining issues and try to find a way 
to make the IUC a reality.  She welcomed a U.S. negotiating 
delegation to do this and said that the GOI was prepared to work 
with us to find a way forward. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) GOI officials also raised the matter of NAMRU-2's 
continued operations.  Bunyan Saptomo, Director for North American 
Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU), referred to 
the December 31, 2009, diplomatic note that conveyed the GOI's 
decision to terminate the agreement covering NAMRU-2's operations. 
Expanding on the text of that note, Bunyan proposed that the Embassy 
and the GOI form a joint team to conduct an inventory of all fixed 
equipment currently in NAMRU-2 premises. 
 
 
JAKARTA 00000064  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In a January 15 conversation, Presidential Advisor Dino 
Djalal told Ambassador Hume that President Yudhoyono was considering 
options that could allow continued U.S. Navy participation in the 
IUC.  One approach under consideration would be to assign some 
Indonesian Military personnel to the center.  This, Djalal 
suggested, could give the GOI sufficient political cover.  He also 
welcomed the USG negotiating team and suggested that Secretary 
Clinton discuss the matter with FM Natalegawa on the margins of the 
January 28 Afghanistan ministerial conference in London.  (Mission 
will forward a recommendation for that meeting via septel.) 
 
¶10. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST:  To move forward with the proposed early 
February negotiation, mission requests the following: 
 
-- That the Department confirm as soon as possible the members of 
the USG negotiating delegation and the dates of their travel. 
 
-- That the Department complete the C-175 authorization process as 
soon as possible. 
 
-- That the Department provide a USG draft text of the IUC MOU to us 
no later than January 22.  This timeframe is necessary in order to 
allow the GOI to conduct an interagency review of the text prior to 
the negotiating team's arrival. 
 
END ACTION REQUEST. 
 
 
HUME