US embassy cable - 99JAKARTA4282

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 004282 
 
ROME FOR THE VATICAN 
 
HANOI ALSO FOR A/S ROTH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/09 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINT, MOPS, UN, PO, ID 
SUBJECT: XANANA GUSMAO TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 7 
 
1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY AMB. J. STAPLETON ROY; REASON 1.5(D). 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY. THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RELEASE XANANA 
GUSMAO ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. ALTHOUGH THE INDONESIAN PLAN IS 
TO RETURN HIM TO EAST TIMOR ON THAT DAY, THE BRITISH (AND WE) 
CONSIDER THAT COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND ARE SEEKING TO ARRANGE 
HIS RELEASE IN JAKARTA, WHERE HE WILL BE HOUSED WITH THE BRITISH 
AMBASSADOR. WHAT WILL BE POSSIBLE WILL BE DETERMINED IN MEETINGS 
LATER ON SEPTEMBER 6. END SUMMARY. 
 
3. (C) ON THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 6, I MET WITH THE UK 
AMBASSADOR, THE PORTUGUESE REPRESENTATIVE, AND A MEMBER OF 
XANANA GUSMAO'S STAFF TO DISCUSS ARRANGEMENTS FOR XANANA 
GUSMAO'S RELEASE. THE DISCUSSION REVEALED THE FOLLOWING. JUSTICE 
MINISTER MULADI TELEPHONED XANANA GUSMAO LATE SEPTEMBER 5 AND 
INFORMED HIM THAT HIS RELEASE ORDER WOULD BE SIGNED ON 
SEPTEMBER 6, AND HE WOULD BE SENT BY PLANE TO EAST TIMOR ON 
SEPTEMBER 7 TO BE TURNED OVER TO UNAMET. XANANA TURNED DOWN 
THESE ARRANGEMENTS, NOTING THAT HIS PURPOSE IN GOING TO EAST 
TIMOR WOULD BE TO MEET WITH HIS PEOPLE, WHICH WOULD BE 
IMPOSSIBLE UNDER CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES. WE ALL AGREED IT WOULD 
BE INCONCEIVABLE TO SEND XANANA TO EAST TIMOR UNDER CURRENT 
CIRCUMSTANCES THERE, AND IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO HEAD THIS OFF. 
 
4. (C) THE UK AMBASSADOR HAD AGREED TO OFFER HOSPITALITY TO 
XANANA AT HIS RESIDENCE, WHERE HE WOULD BE MORE SECURE. IT WAS 
NOT KNOWN YET WHETHER THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD AGREE TO 
XANANA'S RELEASE IN JAKARTA. XANANA AND HIS LAWYER WERE 
SCHEDULED TO MEET WITH MULADI IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OF 
SEPTEMBER 6, WHERE IT WAS HOPED THIS COULD BE CLARIFIED. (I 
LATER LEARNED THAT UNAMET JAKARTA REPRESENTATIVE TAMRAT SAMUEL 
JOINED THIS MEETING). UK MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
JOHN BATTLE IS ARRIVING IN JAKARTA THIS EVENING (SEPT 6) AND THE 
UK AMBASSADOR PLANNED TO TAKE HIM IMMEDIATELY TO CALL ON XANANA 
AT 10 P.M. THE BRITISH HOPED TO GET PERMISSION FOR XANANA TO BE 
RELEASED THE SAME EVENING SO HE COULD SPEND THE NIGHT AT THE 
BRITISH RESIDENCE (BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT HIS SECURITY AT HIS 
PRESENT LOCATION). 
 
5. (C) IF IT TRANSPIRED THAT THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT 
AGREE TO XANANA'S RELEASE IN JAKARTA (WHETHER TONIGHT OR 
TOMORROW), THE UK AMBASSADOR (OR BATTLE) WOULD TELEPHONE FOREIGN 
MINISTER ALATAS AND INDICATE THAT THE BRITISH WOULD IMMEDIATELY 
MAKE PUBLIC THE FACT OF THEIR OFFER. FOREIGN SECRETARY ROBIN 
COOK HAD APPROVED THIS GAME PLAN. 
 
6. (C) AMBASSADOR JAMSHEED MARKER SUBSEQUENTLY INDICATED THAT IF 
IT APPEARED THAT THE INDONESIANS WERE INSISTENT ON RETURNING 
XANANA TO EAST TIMOR, HE WOULD IMMEDIATELY ASK THE UN SECRETARY 
GENERAL TO TELEPHONE HABIBIE TO TRY TO PREVENT THIS. HE 
AUTHORIZED THE UK AMBASSADOR TO INFORM ALATAS OF THIS IF 
NECESSARY. 
 
7. (C) AMBASSADOR MARKER INDICATED THAT PRESIDENT HABIBIE HAD 
INFORMED HIM OF HIS PLAN TO RELEASE XANANA AND TURN HIM OVER TO 
UNAMET IN BAUCAU ON SEPTEMBER 7 OR 8. MARKER TOLD THE PRESIDENT 
THAT UNAMET WAS NOT WILLING TO PLAY THIS ROLE SINCE IT COULD 
HARDLY INSURE XANANA'S SECURITY WHEN IT COULD NOT ASSURE ITS OWN 
SECURITY UNDER PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES. HE TOLD THE PRESIDENT THAT 
WHEN XANANA WAS RELEASED, HE SHOULD BE FREE TO GO WHERE HE 
CHOSE. THE PRESIDENT HAD INDICATED THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT 
COULD BE DISCUSSED (THIS LED TO TAMRAT SAMUEL'S PARTICIPATION IN 
THE MEETING WITH MULADI). 
 
 
ROY