Obama, SBY meet to take relations to new heights

Abdul Khalik ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Singapore   |  Mon, 11/16/2009 10:35 AM  |  Headlines

US President Barack Obama held here on Sunday a one-hour discussion with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with the US facing weakening influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and both the US and Indonesia seeking a new partnership.

After the meeting, both presidents said they were committed to bringing bilateral relations to new heights, with a comprehensive partnership agreement — containing a wide range of bilateral components — ready to be signed.

They talked about a range of global issues, including means to achieve balanced, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as agreed by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders, and ways to back the coming Copenhagen climate talks.

Obama thanked Yudhoyono for leading Indonesia to fight terrorism, withstanding the global crisis whilst presenting the  world’s most populous Muslim country as a leading example of a working democracy.

“Indonesia is not only regionally important, but as a member of the G20, as one of the world's largest democracies, as one of the world's largest Islamic nations, it has enormous influence, and really is, I think, a potential model for the kind of development strategies, democracy strategies, as well as interfaith strategies that are going to be so important moving forward,” Obama said.

The bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit was considered by many to have been a consolation from Obama who canceled his Indonesian trip this year, promising to come next year to Jakarta, to bring his family along and spend more time in the  city of his childhood.

Obama expressed his excitement at coming to Indonesia next year, saying: “I'm hoping to be able to bring Michelle and the girls as well so that they can take a look at some of my old haunting grounds.”
Yudhoyono said he looked forward to welcoming the US President next year, reiterating that “President Obama is a friend of Indonesia. He knows Indonesia very well.”

“I really appreciate his fresh new approach to the world, to many international issues, including his positive outreach to the Islamic world.”

Obama wants to engage the US more deeply in Asia as China continues to gain prominence, with the latter accelerating  regional trade and investment flows.

Obama has reiterated his call to redress economic imbalances blamed by many for the global financial crisis, with US officials calling for Asian countries, especially China, to open their markets and let their people buy more US products.

Fresh government figures on US trade deficits, which ballooned by more than 18 percent to US$36.5  billion in September, could add urgency to Obama's efforts to seek greater export opportunities in China and other Asian countries.

Observers have said that the US needed Indonesia, ASEAN’s biggest single economy, to encourage others to welcome US products.

The ASEAN-US meeting earlier in the day underlined the need for strengthening trade and investment between the two sides, with the US agreeing to issue a joint statement without criticizing Myanmar.

During the meeting, Obama seemed to have asked for Yudhoyono’s support for a US solution to climate change problems. As the US Senate still needs more time to agree on a climate change bill, Obama needs to buy time, hence proposing a two-step solution for climate meetings in Copenhagen next month in which countries will express their commitment to a legally-binding agreement but delay signing it to the next meeting after Copenhagen.

APEC countries, including Indonesia, has expressed their agreement to such a solution.

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