President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton touched on topics ranging from the South China Sea disputes and the
plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar, to the conflict in Syria, during their brief
meeting on Tuesday in Jakarta.
Foreign Minister Marty
Natalegawa, who attended the 45-minute meeting at the State Palace, said at a
press conference afterward that the South China Sea issue, and the stance of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on the disputes, topped the agenda.
He said Clinton had praised
Indonesia for its intensive diplomacy in June to get the 10-nation bloc to
stand united behind a code of conduct for dealing with the overlapping maritime
claims in the area, and for pushing for a peaceful resolution to the various
disputes.
Marty said Clinton and Yudhoyono
also discussed the latest developments regarding the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic
group facing persecution in Myanmar.
“The United States expressed its
appreciation for Indonesia’s measured and compassionate position on the matter,
which is based objectively on the developments on the ground,” he said.
The foreign minister added that
his US counterpart had also revealed that she was closely following Indonesia’s
policy regarding the conflict in Syria.
Yudhoyono, Marty said, had
stressed that Indonesia had consistently called for an end to the fighting
between government forces and rebels that have claimed hundreds of civilian
lives there.
The president also underlined the
importance of the United Nations Security Council adopting a united stance on
the long-running conflict if it was to have any chance of bringing peace to
Syria.
“Secretary Clinton expressed her
regret that the situation in Syria had been allowed to deteriorate to the state
it is in now, which has also contributed to the instability in the Middle East
as a whole,” Marty said.
Clinton and Yudhoyono also
touched on the issue of a nuclear Iran, and while Indonesia was adamant that
the pursuit of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes was a noble and
worthwhile objective, seeking weapons technology was not.
“Iran, like all other countries,
must abide by nuclear non-proliferation principles,” Marty said.
The final issue that they
discussed was the prospect for change within the North Korean regime under the
leadership of Kim Jong Un.
Tuesday’s discussion was also
attended by several cabinet ministers, including Djoko Suyanto, the
coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, and Trade
Minister Gita Wirjawan.
Shortly after her arrival in the
country on Monday evening, Clinton held bilateral talks with Marty at the
Foreign Ministry, where they discussed the South China Sea issue in greater
detail, as well as Indonesia’s growing prominence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Arientha Primanita
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