Mending US ties: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (center) waves as she poses for photos with students from the elementary school where US President Barack Obama studied in his youth, upon her arrival at Halim airport in Jakarta on Wednesday. Clinton arrived in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, on a mission to start mending US ties with the Islamic world.

Local journalists held their breath as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exited a room at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry with her Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda accompanying her.

Wearing a blue blouse, she looked fresh, and her smile never left her face despite the seven-hour nonstop flight from Tokyo.

“She looks more beautiful than on TV,” one female journalist said.

As she began to talk, all minds snapped to what she said.

“I bring greetings from President Obama, who has himself said and written about the importance of his time here as a young boy,” Clinton said. “It gave him an insight into not only this diverse and vibrant culture, but also the capacity for people with different backgrounds to live harmoniously together.”

While a group of protesters outside the US Embassy screamed out “Go home Hillary", her friendly gestures and sweet smile never faded during Wednesday's, putting a more humane face on the US.

A Foreign Ministry official said that as soon as she had arrived at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in East Jakarta earlier in the afternoon, she shook hands with “almost everyone at the airport, down to the cleaning service staff”.

Among those who welcomed her at the airport were 44 children from Obama's former primary school, singing traditional folk songs and waving Indonesian and US flags. She smiled, stopped and talked to them.

But the merriest welcome she got was at the ASEAN Secretariat, where dozens of employees shouted “Hillary! Hillary!” from the moment she stepped in to meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan.

She was welcomed like a heroine, complete with a flower garland given to her before entering the building. Clinton then shook hands with the employees.

Later in the evening, Clinton hosted a dinner with the country's civil society leaders.

­— JP/Abdul Khalik

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