E6 UNCLASSIFIED PTQ1888 RELEASED IN PART Bl 1 4 D CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-Ol JAKART 02689 01 OF 02 PTQ1888 140827Z ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO ACQ-Ol CA-02 DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO SRPP-OO DS-OO H-Ol IM-Ol TEDE-OO INR-OO IO-OO NSAE-OO NSCE-OO OCS-03 ADS-OO OIC-02 PA-OO PM-OO PRS-OO P-OO CIO-OO SS-OO STR-OO TRSE-OO T-OO USIE-OO DRL-04 PRM-Ol G-OO NFAT-OO SAS-OO ------------------3DBDB8 140828Z 38 o 140826Z MAY 98 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1529 INFO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI USMISSION GENEVA INFO LOG-OO SMEC-OO FBIE-OO L-Ol OPIC-Ol SSO-OO DSCC-OO ClAE-OO EB-OO LAB-Ol OMB-Ol SP-OO PMB-OO 028W CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002689 DEPARTMENT FOR MONITORING WORKING GROUP S S-O CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER EAP PIMBS USCINCPAC FOR FPA AMB TEARE E O 12958 DECL 05 15 08 TAGS PINS CASC PHOM PGOV ID SUBJECT MGID01 KEY FORMER MINISTER SPEAKS OF SOEHARTO' S OUSTER CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 JAKART 02689 01 OF 02 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY CHARLES E LAHIGUERA CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL REASON 1 4 D DECLASSIFY AFTER 13 MAY 2023 DATE CASE ID 19 JUN 2006 200502473 140827Z UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED 1 CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS ED MCWILLIAMS REASON 2 U RETIRED CALL ON RAPIDLY 1 5 D FORMER MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS RUDINI AN INFLUENTIAL MILITARY LEADER AND REGIME CRITIC INVITED POLCOUNS TO HIM MAY 14 AND PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING READOUT ON CURRENT CHANGING DEVELOPMENTS 3 C RUDINI SAID THAT HE MET WITH I MAY 13 AND TOLD HIM BLUNTLY THAT IT Wr At ' S N'I'7'ono w T 'I ' ME - 'r E 'iO Rr-- IIAB Rr I'I TI7'IO ------' CHOOSE EITHER ABRI WOULD SIDE WITH THE PEOPLE OR SIDE WITH THE PRESIDENT AND ALONG WITH THE PRESIDENT GO DOWN TO DEFEAT RUDINI NOTING THAT HE HAS HAD A CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH Bl Bl ACCORDING TO RUDINI THE FIRST QUESTION IGENERALS WAS WHETHER TO INFORM PRESIDENT SOEHAR T O N O W E N R O U T E BACK TO INDONESIA FROM EGYPT THAT ABRI COULD NOT ASSURE HIS SAFETY IF HE RETURNED a n - PY'P I '-r rrn TING OFI Bl Bl Bl Bl C RUDINI SAID HE HAS ALSO TOLD PARLIAMENT ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 14 HE EXPLAINED THAT THIS WOULD ENTAIL EITHER GUARDING THEIR LINE ' OF MARCH OR SIMPLY NOT INTERFERING WITH THE MARCH RUDINI SAID THAT WERE THERE TO BE SUCH A LARGE GATHERING IT WOULD PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR AI MESSAGE TO SOEHARTO THAT HE COULD NOT GUARANTEE HIS SECUR I T Y ---- Bl CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 JAKART 02689 01 OF 02 140827Z 5 C RUDINI CLAIMED THAT MOST OF ABRI RIGHT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM RANKS WANTED THE PRESIDENT TO STEP DOWN IMMEDIATELY HE Bl UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Bl 7 C RUDINI SAID THAT STUDENTS AND ACADEMICS HAD APPROACHED HIM ABOUT SERVING AS A REPLACEMENT FOR SOEHARTO HE NOTED THAT HE HAD ABRI'S TRUST AND SPECIFICALLY THAT OFI RUDINI TOLD POLCOUNS HE WAS READY TO ASSUME TH I S R O L E H E S A I D THAT HE ANTICIPATED THAT IN A TRANSITION SCENARIO VICE PRESIDENT HABIBIE WOULD REPLACE SOEHARTO FOR ONE DAY AND THAT A SESSION OF THE PEOPLE'S CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY WOULD REPLACE HABIBIE WITH HIMSELF RUDINI RUDINI SAID HE BELIEVED HE WOULD HAVE STUDENT SUPPORT AND WOULD ENSURE THAT BY OFFERING STUDENTS SIX MON HS OF STIPENDSFOR TUITION AND LIV NG EXPENSES RUDINI BELIEVED HE WOULD ALSO HAVE SUPPORT OF MAJOR OPPOSITION FIGURES ESPECIALLY CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 JAKART 02689 01 OF 02 140827Z IF HE AGREED TO SUPPORT A REFORM AGENDA INCLUDING REFORM OF THE FIVE POLITICAL LAWS SO THAT THERE COULD BE A REALLY DEMOCRATIC ELECTION IN 2002 RUDINI ENVISAGED HIMSELF SERVING AS PRESIDENT UNTIL 2002 8 C RUDINI ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOME MIGHT OPPOSE HIM AS A TRANSITION PRESIDENT NOTABLY ISLAMIC ELEMENTS SUCH AS AMIEN RAIS ADI SASONO AND POSSIBLY HABIBIE HIMSELF HE NOTED THE POSSIBILITY THAT SUCH AN ISLAMIC FORCE MIGHT DRAW SUPPORT FROM PRABOWO BUT IN THE END CONSIDERED THE FORCES DRAWN UP IN HIS SUPPORT TO ENSURE THAT ANY OBJECTION COULD BE OVERCOME 9 C POLCOUNS REITERATED U S POLICY OF NO INVOLVEMENT IN THE INTERNAL POLITICS OF INDONESIA BUT SUPPORT FOR THE HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS OF THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO BRING ABOUT REFORM THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS RUDINI SAID HE WAS WELL AWARE OF THIS AND EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE EMBASSY'S ROLE IN RECENT MONTHS 10 C COMMENT RUDINI'S ACCOUNT OF HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH UNCLASSIFIED Bl UNCLASSIFIED __________________ IIS PLAUSIBLE ON ITS FACE ALTHOUGH WE CANN9T BE CERTAIN OF ITS PARTICULARS IT IS WORTH NOTING THOUGH THAT A LARGE STUDENT DEMONSTRATION INDEED MATERIALIZED ON MAY 14 AND THAT THE SECURITY FORCES HAVE THUS FAR AS OF 2 00 P M DONE NOTHING TO IMPEDE ITS MOVEMENTS TOWARD THE MPR AS FOR RUDINI I S SUPPOSED PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS WE WOULD RATE HIM ONLY AS A VERY CONFIDENTIAL NNNNJ TQ1889 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 ACTION EAP-01 INFO JAKART 02689 02 OF 02 PTQ1889 140827Z LOG-OO SMEC-OO FBIE-OO ADS-OO PA-OO sS-OO PRM-01 ACDA-08 ACDE-OO AID-OO ACQ-01 CA-02 DINT-OO DODE-OO DOEE-OO SRPP-OO DS-OO H-01 TEDE-OO INR-OO IO-OO LAB-01 OIC-02 NSAE-OO NSCE-OO OCS-03 0l' fB-01 PM-OO PRS-OO P-OO CIO-OO SP-OO STR-OO TRSE-OO T-OO USIE-OO PMB-OO DRL-04 G-OO NFAT-OO SAS-OO 027W ------------------3DBDBB 140828Z 38 o 140826Z MAY 98 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1530 INFO ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS AMEMBASSY CANBERRA USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI USMISSION GENEVA CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 JAKARTA 002689 UNCLASSIFIED ClAE-OO EB-OO L-01 OPIC-01 SSO-OO DSCC-OO Bl ----------------- ----------------- UNCLASSIFIED o DEPARTMENT FOR MONITORING WORKING GROUP S S-O CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER EAP PIMBS USCINCPAC FOR FPA AMB TEARE E O 12958 DECL 05 15 08 TAGS PINS CASC PHUM PGOV ID SUBJECT MGID01 KEY FORMER MINISTER SPEAKS OF SOEHARTO' S OUSTER CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 JAKART 02689 LONG SHORT FOR THE TOP JOB 02 OF 02 140827Z ROY UNCLASSIFIED --- ---------------- UNCLASSIFIED IAI- 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