UNCLASSIFIED PTQ7149 E12 RELEASED IN FULL SECRET PAGE 01 ACTION SS-OO JAKART 06622 01 OF 02 PTQ7149 100952Z OASY-OO ANHR-01 TEDE-OO ADS-OO OOlW ------------------F91627 100952Z 38 o 100950Z NOV 97 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8244 SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE IMMEDIATE INFO JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY DIA WASHDC DH-3 PRIORITY INFO LOG-OO SEC RET SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 006622 VIENTIANE PLEASE PASS TO DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT'S PARTY E O 12958 DECL 11 07 16 TAGS PREL MASS ID SUBJECT ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROTH'S MEETING WITH INDONESIAN SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDER PRABOWO 1 U CLASSIFIED BY DC MICHAEL P OWENS REASON1 5 D 2 S ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE STANLEY ROTH MET WITH MAJOR GENERAL PRABOWO SUBIANTO FOR AN HOUR OF CANDID AND PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION ON NOVEMBER 6 IN ADDITION TO MR ROTH'S SPECIAL ASSISTANT JAMES FOSTER DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION OWENS AND DEFENSE ATTACHE COLONEL DON MCFETRIDGE ATTENDED THE MEETING MR ROTH'S MEETING WITH PRABOWO SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 JAKART 06622 01 OF 02 100952Z ALLOWED THE TWO TO RENEW THEIR ACQUAINTANCES FIRST UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY CHARLES E LAHIGUERA DATE CASE ID 04 SEP 2007 200503216 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED ESTABLISHED WHEN MR ROTH WAS AT THE NSC AND EARLIER AT DOD ISA 2 S SECRETARY ROTH OPENED THE DISCUSSION WITH A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF U S -INDONESIAN RELATIONS HE NOTED THE RECENT SENIO VISITS AND MEETINGS THAT HAVE MARKED U S EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND OUR BILATERAL RELA IONSHIP IN THIS REGARD SECRETARY ROTH ALSO STRESSED U S MEASURES INCLUDING THE FIRE FIGHTING EFFORTS WITH C-130 AIRCRAFT AND THE 3 BILLION USD SUPPORT TO THE IMF-LED FINANCIAL SUPPORT PACKAGE 3 S MAJOR GENERAL PRABOWO SAID ALL SENIOR OFFICERS AND IMPORTANT INDONESIAN OFFICIALS HE KNEW THOUGHT INDONESIAfS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES WAS VERY IMPORTANT INDONESIANS WANT A STRONG BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES HE THEN MADE THE FOLLOWING MAIN POINTS A PRABOWO SAID HE HOPED THAT THE U S WOULD LOOK CLOSELY AT CONDITIONS AND CHALLENGES IN INDONESIA INDONESIA HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS TO BECOME ANOTHER' YUGOSLAVIA ETHNIC CULTURAL ECONOMIC RELIGIOUS AND LINGUISTIC DIVISIONS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO DESTABILIZE INDONESIA B INDONESIA ' HAS ALREADY ENCOUNTERED AND OVERCOME SUBSTANTIAL PROBLEMS IN ITS EARLY HISTORY INDONESIA FACED DOWN ISLAMIC EXTREMISM AND COMMUNISM ALTHOUGH MANY INDONESIANS DO NOT AGREE PRABOWO SAID HE FEELS SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 JAKART 06622 01 OF 02 100952Z THAT AMERICA BOUGHT TIME FOR INDONESIA TO OVERCOME ITS COMMUNIST THREAT ffTHE 58 000 AMERICANS WHO DIED IN VIETNAM GAVE ALL OF SOUTHEAST ASIA BREATHING SPACE n WITHOUT IT COMMUNISM WOULD PROBABLY HAVE SWEPT THROUGHOUT ALL OF SOUTHEAST ASIA FORTUNATELY INDONESIA DID NOT NEED DIRECT AMERICAN HELP TO DEFEAT THE INDONESIAN DOMESTIC COMMUNIST MENACE THE NEXT GREAT NATIONAL CHALLENGE WILL BE THE IMPENDING POLITICAL TRANSITION AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRY UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED C PRESIDENT SOEHARTO HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN DEVELOPING THE COUNTRY ' S ECONOMY SOEHARTO'S BACKGROUND WAS AS A SOLDIER HE HAD NO FOREIGN TRAINING AND LITTLE FORMAL EDUCATION BUT HE IS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT AND HAS A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY HOWEVER THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND WORLD CONCERNS AND PRESSURES FROM PRABOWO' S PERSPECTIVE IT WOULD BE BETTER IF SOEHARTO STEPPED DOWN IN MARCH 1998 AND THE COUNTRY MOVED PEACEFULLY THROUGH AN ORDERLY TRANSITION OF POWER AT THAT TIME WHETHER THIS HAPPENS IN MARCH OR TAKES A FEW YEARS THE SOEHARTO ERA WILL SOON END D BELOW THE SURFACE THERE ARE ALREADY INTRIGUES UNDERWAY BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEY ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO CHALLENGE THE PRESIDENT DIRECTLY THESE POLITICAL MANEUVERS ARE DANGEROUS BECAUSE THEY INCREASE THE VOLATILITY OF THE SOCIETY TRANSFORMATION IS INEVITABLE AND IS COMING THE MILITARY HOWEVER HAVE THE DELICATE TASK OF ENCOURAGING REFORM WHILE HOLDING CHAOS AND DESTABILIZATION IN CHECK PRABOWO USED THE SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 JAKART 06622 01 OF 02 100952Z EXAMPLE OF YUGOSLAVIA WHERE A STRONG LEADER DEPARTED AND THE COUNTRY FELL INTO ANARCHY E THE ARMED FORCES WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE A FACTOR IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM PRABOWO'S GENERATION OF ABRI LEADERS WANT TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLES OF SOUTH KOREA TAIWAN AND THAILAND I -HATE POLITICS I WANT THE MILITARY OUT OF POLITICS II HE SAID THE KEY TO SPEEDING UP THIS TRANSFORMATION IS EDUCATION F PRABOWO SAID HE HAD GONE OUTSIDE THE MILITARY TO OBTAIN THE BUDGETARY RESOURCES TO SEND 53 OFFICERS TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE SCHOOLING IN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN THESE INCLUDED THE FIRST INDONESIAN MILITARY CADETS AT VMI THE CITADEL AND NORWICH ALL OF WHOM HE NOTED PROUDLY ARE EXCELLING IN THEIR STUDIES PRABOWO WANTS INDONESIA TO BE LED BY ITS BEST AND BRIGHTEST II AND THEY MUST BE WELL EDUCATED UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED SECRET NNNNPTQ7150 SECRET PAGE 01 ACTION SS-OO INFO JAKART 06622 02 OF 02 PTQ7150 100952Z LOG-OO OASY-OO ANHR-01 TEDE-OO ADS-OO OOlW ------------------F9162B 100952Z 38 o 100950Z NOV 97 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8245 SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE IMMEDIATE INFO JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY DIA WASHDC DH-3 PRIORITY SEC RET SECTION 02 OF 02 JAKARTA 006622 VIENTIANE PLEASE PASS TO DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT'S PARTY E O 12958 DECL 11 07 16 TAGS PREL MASS ID SUBJECT ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROTH I S MEETING WITH UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED INDONESIAN SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDER PRABOWO G PRABOWO ALSO WANTS TO BUY U S MILITARY TRAINING THROUGH FOREIGN MILITARY SALES FMS HE ISN'T WAITING OR ASKING FOR IMET HE WANTS TO SEND SPECIAL FORCES OFFICERS OVERSEAS TO BE EXPOSED TO WESTERN VALUES STANDARDS OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROFESSIONALISM PRABOWO SAID HE WAS A PRODUCT OF WESTERN EDUCATION AND KNOWS ITS IMPORTANCE BUT SOMEBODY HE CLAIMED IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT OR THE PENTAGON HAS STOPPED HIS SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 JAKART 06622 REQUEST FOR FMS TRAINING 02 OF 02 100952Z 4 S RESPONDING TO PRABOWO'S POINTS MR ROTH ALSO AGREED INDONESIA WILL EVENTUALLY NEED TO DEAL WITH POLITICAL TRANSITION AND THAT THE CHALLENGE OF TRANSFORMATION WILL HAVE AND MOST HAVE AN INDONESIAN SOLUTION THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT GET INVOLVED OR TRY TO MANIPULATE THE PROCESS WE HAVE SEEN IN SOUTH KOREA THAT A MAJOR POLITICAL TRANSFORMAT ON IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE ECONOMY MR ROTH ALSO PROMISED TO LOOK INTO THE STATUS OF PRABOWO'S REQUEST TO PURCHASE FMS TRAINING 5 U ROY THIS CABLE HAS BEEN CLEARED BY S ROTH UNCLASSIFIED UNCLAS SIFIED SECRET UNCLASSIFIED This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu