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Kerry discusses fight against IS during inauguration visit
First meeting: Newly inaugurated President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo (right) welcomes US Secretary of State John Kerry to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday
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span class="inline inline-center">First meeting: Newly inaugurated President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (right) welcomes US Secretary of State John Kerry to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday. JP/ Jerry Adiguna
US Secretary of State John Kerry utilized his one-day visit to Indonesia to meet with several world leaders attending the inauguration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo in Jakarta on Monday and build up support for the US-led fight against the Islamic State (IS) movement.
The issue, however, was not raised during Kerry's meeting with Jokowi in the evening despite recent reports saying that another Indonesian fighting for the IS was involved in a terror attack in Tikrit, Iraq.
After the meeting, Jokowi firmly said 'No,' when asked by reporters if Kerry raised issues related to IS.
Previously, a US official said Kerry would urge Jokowi to do more to freeze the assets of militants in line with UN Financial Action Task Force requirements. 'They've made some progress on that,' he said. 'The hope is that they will make more and it's part of an ongoing effort [...] to encourage the Indonesians to do all they need to do to meet their obligations under the UN.'
Efforts on fighting IS were discussed when Kerry met with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Brunei Darussalam's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said reports.
Other issues touched on Kerry's bilateral talks in Jakarta were the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, in which China's increasing assertiveness is a worry to the US and its Asian allies and partners; the fight to contain the deadly Ebola virus; and the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership (TPP) currently under negotiation.
Kerry praised Malaysia's strong condemnation of IS and discussed with Najib the need for the international community to do more to crack down on foreign fighters, a senior US State Department official said as quoted by Reuters.
With Abbot, Kerry also hailed Australia's active support for the campaign against IS, which has included launching air strikes against militants, and noted that Australians had seen first-hand the problem created by foreign fighters.
The presence of Australians among IS fighters 'brings home to everybody how important it is for this to be a global coalition and for all of us to understand the stakes,' Kerry told Abbot as quoted by AP.
'We couldn't have a stronger partner and we are very, very grateful for Australia's consistent willingness to step up and stand for values, as well as interests, that are important to us,' Kerry said.
Kerry's visit to Jakarta ' which required more than 26 hours traveling for just 24 hours on the ground before he heads to Germany on Tuesday ' is aimed at highlighting the Obama administration's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, especially its hopes for Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and third largest democracy.
Previously, the US government said the issues related to combating IS would be Kerry's priority
while he was in Jakarta, believing that Indonesia had an important role in the issue due to its status as the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy, a senior US State Department official said in a press release.
