VZCZCXRO6878
PP RUEHBZ RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1563/01 1571021
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061021Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4970
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA PRIORITY 0020
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0787
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1007
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 6034
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 1518
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001563
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/CPI FOR WUCHTE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL UNSC KNNP OSCE KPAO AORC ID
SUBJECT: IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSCR 1540 IN SOUTHEAST
ASIA-ASEAN
1. (SBU) Summary. A two-day regional consultative workshop,
held in Jakarta on May 28-29 for countries of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), considered ways in which
regional and other states, as well as relevant international
organizations, could cooperate in the implementation of
United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540
within Southeast Asia. The workshop was jointly organized by
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in
Jakarta, the Institute for International Relations (IRIS) in
Geneva, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which
provided funding) and the Indonesian Department of Foreign
Affairs. Despite Indonesia's co-sponsorship of the workshop,
its chief representative questioned the basis for UNSCR 1540,
in effect declining to support its implementation. Officials
from the United States, France and Australia provided input
for discussion in the ASEAN Regional Forum toward effecting
greater transparency among the committee, regional member
states and prospective donors in responding to assistance
requests. End summary.
2. (U) Workshop organizers accomplished the overarching goals
of the seminar and demonstrated the value of sub-regional
outreach and the partnership of nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) in furthering 1540 implementation. The French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the workshop in
collaboration with Indonesia's CSIS and the Geneva-based
Institute for International Relations (IRIS). Major themes
included: 1) identifying and understanding the precise needs
of different states in the ASEAN region with respect to
nonproliferation, 2) identifying common problems and
solutions related to implementation of the resolution in
ASEAN and 3) developing a common perspective on challenges
concerning assistance. A final session suggested possible
ways ahead.
3. (SBU) Speeches by the French Ambassador and the Slovak
Ambassador to Indonesia (speaking on behalf of the New York
Committee Chair) focused on the significance of regional and
sub-regional outreach to gather further momentum. Several
NGOs interested in funding implementation expressed strong
support for the objectives of the seminar. The participation
of the U.S. 1540 Coordinator explained the capabilities of
the 1540 committee and the potential role of regional
organizations. Since no committee representative was able to
travel to the seminar, participating U.S. and French
officials offered a committee perspective.
4. (SBU) Throughout the workshop, French MFA and MOD
officials seemed surprised by the lack of progress in the
work of the committee in better informing regional member
states of the opportunities possible through UNSCR 1540.
(Note: Despite the holding of several outreach events in
2006, the French UN mission apparently has only recently
engaged with Paris on UNSCR 1540. Although endorsing 1540
objectives, France appears to have viewed implementation of
UNSCR 1540 as a task primarily for New York missions.) In
private discussions on the margins of the conference, French
officials said their involvement in organizing the workshop
had helped raise French awareness of the need to reinvigorate
the committee and reach decisions.
INDONESIA QUESTIONS THE RESOLUTION ITSELF
5. (SBU) Desra Percaya, Director for International Security
and Disarmament in the Indonesian Department of Foreign
Affairs, stated Indonesia's reservations regarding UNSCR
1540's adoption. Percaya asserted that the resolution lacked
legitimacy, that ASEAN states should not be obligated to go
further than submitting a report, and that the lack of
disarmament progress by major powers made implementation of
1540 an unjust burden. Percaya proposed replacing UNSCR 1540
with a multilateral treaty to avoid what he deemed
"legislating implementation through a Security Council
resolution." Both the U.S. and French representatives
countered with the prevailing view that UNSCR 1540 should be
seen as an opportunity and not a constraint.
6. (SBU) In a bilateral meeting with Deputy Director for
Disarmament Andy Rachmianto before the workshop, U.S. 1540
Coordinator explained U.S. implementation strategy, shared a
copy of the overview of U.S. assistance programs and
JAKARTA 00001563 002 OF 002
discussed the value of regional organizations. Coordinator
appealed for Indonesian leadership on the Security Council
1540 Committee to facilitate implementation of provisions and
agreement of provisions for technical assistance.
Coordinator stressed such leadership would encourage nations
in need of capacity building to seek assistance through
concrete requests. Rachmianto responded that Indonesia
remained skeptical of the basis for UNSCR 1540 because it
imposed obligations without the full consent of all member
states. Indonesia therefore preferred to work through
existing multilateral frameworks and was reluctant to develop
a separate implementation plan. When pressed to join the
Proliferation Security Initiative, Rachmianto said the
Indonesian government was facing new challenges from the
legislature (DPR) on foreign policy issues, to the point that
the Indonesian President had been requested to explain
Indonesia's support for Iran sanctions resolution UNSCR 1747.
In this context, the optics of joining PSI currently were
unfavorable.
THE WAY AHEAD
7. (U) The following recommendations were put forward by
participants. The comments are in no order of priority and
represent a general overview of outcomes:
-- Although many programs are under way in the region, the
committee needs to increase its transparency and dialogue
with each nation toward providing technical assistance.
-- Understanding the legal requirements of UNSCR 1540 is
challenging to the countries of the region, and most admitted
they had no capacity.
-- Action plans or road maps are a key to getting states to
make specific assistance requests which can be acted upon.
Privately, however, some states say they lack the wherewithal
to organize their interagency.
-- UNSCR 1540 can become the standard from which states view
an approach to address all aspects of the nonproliferation
spectrum. Outreach on UNSCR 1540 therefore remains vital.
-- The UN 1540 website would better facilitate the sharing of
information if it were kept up to date and more user-friendly.
COMMENT
8. (SBU) Indonesia's resistance on UNSCR 1540 draws into
question the objective of endorsement by and implementation
through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Given Indonesia's
position, ASEAN nations will likely not reach a common
position without strong countervailing input from other
non-ASEAN ARF members such as China, Japan and Korea.
HEFFERN