As President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono touted Indonesia’s success story to British leaders during a three-day visit to London, protesters slammed Yudhoyono for failing to curtail human rights abuses.

“Many analysts have written voluminous articles on Indonesia’s contribution to the regional and global peace and prosperity, in the past few years, and many have also written constructively about our foreign policy activism, as new regionalism and internationalism of Indonesia,” Yudhoyono told high-level analysts, academics and politicians at the second annual Wilton Park address on Friday.

“It is the duty that emanates from our constitutional call, to participate in the creation of an order based on freedom, lasting peace and social justice. We believe that global peace and prosperity will help create an external environment conducive for our national development.”

Yudhoyono’s statements contrasted with those of the demonstrators, who held banners reading “SBY: Stop Killing Papuans” outside UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s office at 10 Downing Street on Thursday.

At the lecture, the President reiterated his desire for Indonesia to play a mediating role in the South China Sea dispute, claiming that common principles and values were currently needed more than procedures and frameworks, such as have been proposed by Indonesia and rejected by China.

“When I visited China last month, I met President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jia Bao, both leaders agreed to start having talks on how to formulate a framework or code of conduct that’s to be obeyed by all parties in South China Sea. This for me is really promising ... We have our framework, our agreement, but also based on a deep understanding that we have to maintain stability, peace and order,” Yudhoyono said.

According to the President, economies could not be developed without peace and security. Yudhoyono said that continued economic growth was crucial for Indonesia to be “part of the global endeavor in solving the current recession”.

Domestic demand from Indonesia’s population of 240 million people has helped spur development in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, resulting in consistent annual growth rates between 4 to 6 percent since 2001.

“Some pundits have even believed that Indonesia’s growth is more consistent when compared with any OECD or BRIC countries ... Indonesia could become the second-fastest growing economy in Asia after China, surpassing India,” Yudhoyono said, estimating that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) would grow by 6.3 to 6.4 percent this year.

Yudhoyono, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Chatib Basri have also been scheduled to open the Indonesia-UK Business Forum to discuss bilateral trade and investment opportunities.

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