Cablegate: In Lula's Visit, Goi-Brazil Highlight Environment,

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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9516
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0213
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2755
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 1116
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 4728
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001346

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, WHA, WHA/BSC, IO, IO/UNP
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2018
TAGS: PREL SENV UNSC ID BR
SUBJECT: IN LULA'S VISIT, GOI-BRAZIL HIGHLIGHT ENVIRONMENT,
UNSC MEMBERSHIP

REF: JAKARTA 1242

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).

1. (C) SUMMARY: During his July 11-12 visit to Jakarta,
Brazilian President da Silva signed cooperation agreements on
biofuels development and education. President Yudhoyono also
endorsed Lula's call for expansion of the UN Security Council
and seemed to voice outright support for Brazil's candidacy
for a permanent UNSC seat. Brazil is generally off the scope
for Indonesians, but an adviser to President Yudhoyono told
us that the GOI was keen to welcome Lula, who is seen as an
ally on many North-South issues. END SUMMARY.

SIGNING SEVERAL ACCORDS

2. (U) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited
Indonesia, July 11-12. He met President Yudhoyono, House of
Representatives (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono, and People's
Consultative Assembly Chair--and possible vice-presidential
candidate--Hidayat Nur Wahid. Lula arrived in Jakarta after
his visit to Japan for G-8-related meetings and a one-day
visit to Timor-Leste, another former Portugese colony.
Yudhoyono announced that he would accept Lula's invitation to
visit Brazil by the end of 2008.

3. (U) During the visit, Brazil and Indonesia signed a
number of cooperation agreements on the environmental front.
They agreed to work together on research and development of
ethanol. The two countries also signed an education
cooperation agreement that will send Indonesian students to
Brazil to study agriculture and alternative energy. Finally,
the two leaders pledged to work together to prevent
deforestation.

DISCUSSING UN REFORM

4. (U) As expected, the perennial topic of United Nations
reform came up during the visit. The UN system must be
reformed to accommodate the contemporary global situation,
Yudhoyono told reporters after meeting with Lula. He agreed
with Lula's call for expansion of the UN Security Council's
permanent membership and indicated that Indonesia would
support Brazil's candidacy for a permanent seat. Yudhoyono
also suggested that Indonesia--as the world's most populous
Muslim country--would seek permanent membership in a reformed
UNSC.

5. (C) Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU)
later seemed to walk back from the President's
forward-leaning statements on the UNSC. According to our
contact, the GOI supports UNSC reform but--Yudhoyono's
comments notwithstanding--has not actually decided whether it
supports expanding the number of permanent UNSC members.
According to Fikry Cassidy, Deputy Director of DEPLU's
Directorate for International Security and Disarmament
Affairs--the GOI office that handles UNSC affairs, the GOI
has not decided whether to support any state's candidacy for
a new permanent seat nor has it decided whether to put itself
forward for such a seat. Cassidy said DEPLU would seek
clarification of SBY's remarks but added that Indonesia's
position on the UNSC has not changed as far as he knows.

BRAZIL SEEN AS A FRIEND

6. (C) Given the tyranny of distance, Brazil is generally
off the scope for Indonesians. That said, an adviser to
President Yudhoyono told us that the Brazilian government is
seen an ally on North-South issues. Brazil is also seen as a
growing world power that has effectively dealt with energy
issues while improving its economy, factors which make it
increasingly important to Indonesia. The GOI welcomed Lula
in that positive spirit.

JAKARTA 00001346 002 OF 002

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