Clinton looks to boost US image in Asia

Thursday, February 19, 2009 JAKARTA: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton moved on Wednesday to boost US ties with the world’s most populous Muslim nation and its neighbors, pledging a new American willingness to work with and listen to Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia. Her message was received warmly by officials in Jakarta, the childhood home of President Barack Obama, although small and scattered protests were held in several cities, with some Islamic hard-liners setting tires on fire and others throwing shoes at caricatures of Clinton. She said her choice of Asia for her first overseas trip as Obama’s top diplomat was “no accident” and a sign of the new administration’s desire for broader and deeper relations with the continent on regional and global issues. Clinton, who arrived from a stop in Japan and will head Thursday to South Korea and China, was particularly effusive about Indonesia, which she said deserved praise for its hard-won multiethnic democracy and efforts to fight terrorism while respecting human rights. She announced plans to restart Peace Corps programs in Indonesia that were suspended in 1965 when volunteers were expelled after leftists accused them of espionage. And she said the two countries would cooperate on climate change, trade, education, regional security and a host of other issues, while indicating that more development aid was on the way. “I bring greetings from President Obama, who has himself said and written about the importance of his time here as a young boy,” Clinton told reporters at a news conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. “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,” she said. Wirajuda said Indonesia could be a powerful bridge to help the United States reconnect with Muslims. “As we have proven, democracy Islam and modernity can go hand-in-hand,” he said. “Indonesia can be a good partner for the U.S. in reaching out to the Muslim world.” Indonesia, a secular nation of 235 million people, has personal ties for Obama, who spent four years here as a child. Among those who turned out at the airport to welcome Clinton were 44 children from his former elementary school, singing traditional folk songs and waving Indonesian and US flags. She smiled and swayed to the music as they sang.