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Clinton, who flew from Japan, said choosing Indonesia as the second stop in a four-country Asian tour was "no accident." (Reuters) |
JAKARTA — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived Wednesday, February 18, in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, hoping to restore US image in the Muslim world.
"It is exactly the kind of comprehensive partnership that we believe will drive both democracy and development," Clinton told a news conference in Jakarta.
Clinton, who flew from Japan, said choosing Indonesia as the second stop in a four-country Asian tour was "no accident."
After talks with Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda, she said the two nations intend to move forward in areas ranging from climate change to security and counter-terrorism.
"Part of what she is hoping to accomplish by going here is to highlight the advances that this country, which obviously is a majority-Muslim country…has made in terms of building increasingly robust institutions of democracy," a US official traveling with Clinton told Reuters.
The massive archipelago, where Muslims make up more than 85 percent of the 220 million population, is one of the world's largest democracies.
It is also considered a leading economy in the Southeast Asian region.
The goodwill visit to Indonesia plays on the large popularity of US President Barack Obama, who lived in Jakarta for four years as a child.
"The people of Indonesia obviously have a strong affinity for this new administration," notes the US official.
Expectations are high that Obama will visit Indonesia early in his presidency to reach out to the Muslim world.
Obama, who took the oath of office in January, has promised to improve his country's relations with the Muslim world after it soared under George Bush.
Mixed
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| Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Jakarta to decry Clinton's visit. (Reuters) |
Along with official red carpet, Clinton's visit was welcomed by the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization.
"The US effort to mend ties with Islamic nations by visiting Indonesia is a good thing," Hasyim Muzadi told Agence France Presse (AFP).
He accepted an invitation from Clinton to attend a dinner banquet later Wednesday along with about 50 other dignitaries.
"It's more of a courtesy meeting than a dialogue," said Hasyim whose organization boasts about 60 million members.
But some Indonesians wanted to send a clear message to Clinton that her task of restoring America's image in the Muslim world would not be a walk in the park.
Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the US embassy in Jakarta and chanted "Hillary, Hillary, get out, get out".
They decried the visit as part of a scheme to "divide and rule" world Muslims.
Chairman Din Syamsuddin, the head of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization with some 30 million members, refused to attend Clinton's dinner.
"That kind of meeting won't be effective," he told AFP after turning down the invitation.
He believes that in order to start a new dialogue with Muslims the US must first "stop seeing the Muslim world as an enemy and instead as a strategic partner."
"Secondly they have to change the militaristic approach like in Iraq and Afghanistan, and use soft power like diplomacy and dialogue."
The Muhammadiyah leader also stressed that America's one-sided support to Israel remained the biggest obstacle for better relations with the Muslim world.
"It has to change its double standards over the conflict between Palestine and Israel... If it fails to do so, don't expect the Obama administration to have better ties with the Muslim world."
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