Obama: U.S. on “Right Path” to Better Ties to Muslim World

In Jakarta Tuesday on second leg of Asia trip, Obama touts "earnest" efforts despite "misunderstandings and mistrust," knocks Israeli settlement construction as unhelpful.

From the pool:

Pool Report#4

President Obama's inscription in the visitor's book.

"I am so happy to return to Indonesia and hope the bonds between our two countries continue to grow stronger."

Gaggle details

Ben Rhodes
Jeff Bader, NSC Senior Director for East Asia
Gibbs:
Scheduling change
"The modeling for the volcanic ash will likely necessitate that we leave Indonesia several hours earlier than the schedule had it laid out tomorrow."
He said they are working through several schedules for what the morning looks like and will get back to us. Likely also involves the press charter leaving earlier and getting to South Korea earlier.
"Getting to Korea a touch earlier is almost certainly going to happen."
Unclear on which events will be impacted. "My sense is, our hope is, that while we may have to truncate some of the morning we can still get the speech in."

Rhodes on Indonesia

Said it was an obviously important visit for the president,  a highly anticipated one for Indonesians. "We very much wanted to get here this year."
"This is a very strategically important country. Cited economic ties, counter-terrorism and Indonesia's leadership in SE Asia.

Indonesia is both the largest Muslim majority country but also in many respects a model of pluralism and religious tolerance in this region and the world, Rhodes said.

Bader

Cited Indonesia's role as a major regional and global actor. "This is a country with whom historically, relations have been somewhat tender and sometimes adversarial. In the last decade as Indonesia has emerged as a democracy, they are playing a larger and more constructive role in regional and world affairs."

Bader said that Indonesia will assume the presidency of ASEAN and the East Asia summit next year which Obama will attend. He said Indonesia is a major player in climate change efforts and like India is playing a growing role in regional and global forums.

Laid out the comprehensive partnership that President Obama and President Yudhoyono will be announcing on this visit which he described as the "symbol and the manifestation of the new level to which we are taking the US-Indonesia relationship."

He said US is giving 165 million dollars in assistance for education in Indonesia and higher level education in the next five years and 25 American universities will be partnering with Indonesian universities. Obama, as part of his own experience with Indonesians would like to see more Indonesians studying in the US, he said. The partnership also includes climate, economic issues.
Economic :  US-EXIM bank is making Indonesia one of it's half dozen priority countries.

"US trade with Indonesia is not as substantial as it should be. Two way trade is about 20 billion dollars but we think it could be much, much higher," Bader said.

Near the top of challenges for Indonesia as an investment haven is corruption, he said.

Bader said the US is discussing a number of potential export deals with Indonesia, but would not see it in the same light as the deals unveiled in India which were planned for months.

"In this case I don't think we are looking at commercial deliverables."  Some deals being talked about in energy and infrastructure."

On Iran.

Said Indonesia is a major player in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and has relations with Iran and can talk to the Iranians.  Indonesia has taken positive positions on proliferation issues, he said.

"What we are looking for is the Indonesians to use their relationship with Iran to help explain to the Iranians the benefit that would come " if they abandon the nuclear weapons program.

Human Rights.

"On human rights generally, Indonesia is a good news story. Very few people would have predicted at the time of Suharto's overthrow that Indonesia would emerge as a dynamic democracy"
"The picture is not perfect," he added that there were some problems Obama would talk about with the Indonesian president.

Rhodes.

"Indonesia on human rights and democracy can play a role beyond its borders."
Said Obama is proficient enough to speak Indonesian so that Indonesians could understand him, though was a little out of practice and would not use it to discuss official business.

He said that the Middle East is not a focus of the speech Wednesday and referred us to the State Department's condemnation of the new plan for Israeli settlements in contested areas of Jerusalem.

From the White House guidance:

In the morning, the President and the First Lady will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia. The departure from Palam Air Force Base in New Delhi, India and the arrival at Halim International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia are open press.

In the afternoon, the President and the First Lady will participate in an arrival ceremony at Istana Merdeka. There will be travel pool coverage. The President will then hold a bilateral meeting with President Yudhoyono at Istana Merdeka. The President and President Yudhoyono will then hold an expanded bilateral meeting. There will be travel pool sprays at the top of these meetings.

Later, the President and President Yudhoyono will hold a joint press conference at Istana Merdeka. The press conference is open press.

In the evening, the President and the First Lady will attend a state dinner at Istana Negara