VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHJA #3267 3320934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280934Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7199
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1656
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1198
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2082
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0752
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS JAKARTA 003267
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL, IO
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP P.IPSEN
JOINT STAFF FOR CLEMMONS
NSC FOR E.PHU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR KPKO PGOV PHUM ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIAN PEACEKEEPING -- LEBANON, DARFUR AND THE
WORLD
REF: A. JAKARTA 2798
B. JAKARTA 1785
C. JAKARTA 228
1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please
handle accordingly.
2. (U) SUMMARY: Indonesia is sending a fresh battalion of
peacekeeping troops to the United Nations Forces in Lebanon
(UNIFIL). The 850-member battalion from the Indonesian Armed
Forces (TNI) replaces the initial battalion deployed a year
ago. The Indonesian National Police (INP) is ready to
contribute 145 stabilization police to Darfur once President
Yudhyono approves the mission. Indonesia remains a robust
contributor to global peacekeeping missions and is expanding
its total capacity to 2,000 troops worldwide. END SUMMARY.
3. (U) TNI TRANCHE TWO TO LEBANON: On November 12, the
Indonesian military began deploying a new battalion of troops
to Lebanon as part of Indonesia's contribution to UNIFIL.
The 850-member unit, Garuda XXIII-B, will replace Garuda
XXIII-A, which arrived in November 2006, and will be fully in
place by December 1. The new unit reportedly consists of 528
army officers, 242 naval officers, 60 air force officers, 16
military headquarters staff, one officer from the Department
of Defense and three staff from the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
4. (U) IN PLACE BY DECEMBER 1: The first batch of 284 troops
departed Jakarta aboard a United Nations-charted Boeing 747
on November 12. The aircraft returned with Garuda XXIII-A
soldiers who had completed their one-year tour of duty. The
remainder of the replacement troops are scheduled to depart
Jakarta on November 28 and December 1.
5. (SBU) INP READY FOR DARFUR: The Indonesian National
Police (INP) has also prepared a unit of trained
stabilization police officers for deployment to the Darfur
region of Sudan in December in support of UN operations there
(ref b). The INP is prepared to send about 145 officers in
total, depending on need. An advance team of five INP
officers have been in Darfur for some time. Since the
ambush, murder and kidnapping of several African Union (AU)
troops in September (ref a), the INP leadership and President
Yudhyono have delayed a decision on deployment while they
re-evaluate the situation.
6. (SBU) WORLDWIDE ENGAGEMENT: According to information from
the Indonesian Department of Defense and Department of
Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) and the United Nations, Indonesian
TNI and/or INP personnel are currently in the ground in six
countries: Lebanon - 856 personnel, Congo - 190 personnel,
Liberia - 3 personnel, Georgia - 4 personnel, Nepal - 6
personnel, and Sudan - 16 personnel. Those in Lebanon and
Congo are UN Peacekeeping troops; the small contingents in
other countries consist of observers. The TNI in Congo are
an engineering unit which is building roads and air runways.
7. (SBU) U.S. ASSISTANCE BUILDS CAPACITY: Peacekeeping has a
long history in Indonesia, which has made it a hallmark of
its non-aligned security posture. That tradition has grown
stronger under democracy, and President Yudhoyono recently
approved a plan to build Indonesia's combined capacity of
peacekeeping troops and stabilization police to 2,000 within
the next several years. Indonesia sees its PKO role in the
UN context, but it welcomes assistance from the U.S. and
other countries to build Indonesia's capacity in line with UN
standards. Indonesia now receives $5-7 million annually in
military peacekeeping training under the U.S. Global Peace
Operations Initiative (GPOI). Indonesia is also sending a
steady stream of trainees to the U.S.-supported Center for
Excellence for Stabilization Police Units (CoESPU) in
Vicenza, Italy (ref c).
HUME