VZCZCXRO7000
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2189 2221001
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101001Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5747
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0654
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4201
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0994
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4123
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS JAKARTA 002189
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS AND EB/IFD/ODF
TREASURY FOR TFCA - BERG
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IET and OES/ETC
AMEMBASSY BEIJING PLEASE PASS TO CEQ CONNAUGHTON
E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID ECON ENRG PGOV ID
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT MINISTER WITOELAR WELCOMES U.S. ENGAGEMENT ON
CLIMATE CHANGE
1. (SBU) Summary. Minister of Health Rachmat Witoelar told the
Ambassador on August 9 that he welcomed President Bush's climate
change initiative and the upcoming conference on climate change in
Washington, DC. He welcomed opportunities for dialogue, such as the
upcoming visit of White House Council on Environmental Quality
Chairman James Connaughton. The Minister hopes that Presidents Bush
and Yudhoyono (SBY) will discuss climate change at September's Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Sydney. The
Ambassador affirmed the U.S. desire to participate constructively at
COP-13. End Summary.
September Climate Change Conference and COP-13
--------------------------------------------- -
2. (SBU) The Minister expressed appreciation for U.S. engagement and
leadership on climate change, including the recent announcement of
the September 27-28 "Conference on Energy Security and Climate
Change" in Washington, DC. Confirming that Indonesia will attend,
he said that the Government of Indonesia (GOI) has not yet
determined the composition of its delegation to the conference, but
that he expected to be part of it. The Minister expressed
confidence that President Bush's initiative will provide
opportunities for serious dialogue on climate change prior to the
COP-13 conference in December. He stated that this initiative might
help pressure countries like Russia, China, and India to engage
constructively at COP-13.
3. (SBU) The Minister welcomed the August 15-16 visit to Indonesia
of CEQ Chairman James L. Connaughton and Senior Climate Change
Negotiator Harlan Watson. He termed it an opportunity to discuss
the substantive agenda of both the September conference as well as
the December COP-13 conference in Bali. He acknowledged that
hosting a successful COP-13 (Minister Witoelar will chair the
conference) will be a challenge, and welcomed any opportunities for
countries to discuss their respective positions beforehand so that
the basis for a consensus might emerge by December. The Minister
hoped that Presidents Bush and SBY would discuss the environment and
climate change at September's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) meetings in Sydney.
4. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that the U.S. wants to participate
constructively at COP-13. He pointed out that the U.S. already
contributes to a number of conservation and environment programs in
Indonesia. The Ambassador and the Minister pledged to cooperate in
the months leading up to COP-13.
September 10 Climate Change Workshop
------------------------------------
5. (U) The Minister informed the Ambassador that the GOI, the Pew
Center on Global Climate Change, and Yayasan Pelangi Indonesia (a
local environmental NGO), will hold a one-day workshop in Jakarta on
September 10 to educate Indonesian stakeholders about Indonesian and
U.S. perspectives on climate change. He also welcomed USG
participation and any potential financial support for the workshop.
The Ambassador promised to explore this possibility.
HUME