US MAKING EARNEST EFFORTS TO REACH OUT TO MUSLIMS

JAKARTA, Indonesia - US President Barack Obama said yesterday that Washington's effort to reach out to the Muslim world was earnest and would help improve US security, although he acknowledged that there was still more work to do.
Obama arrived Tuesday on a twice-postponed trip to Indonesia, the world's most populous majority-Muslim state. Before leaving today, he plans a major speech reaching out to the Muslim world that would tout Indonesia as an example of an emerging democracy and tolerant society.

• "With respect to outreach to the Muslim world, I think that our efforts have been earnest and sustained," he said at a joint news conference with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
• "We don't expect that we are going to completely eliminate some of the misunderstandings and mistrust that have developed over a long period of time, but we do think that we're on the right path."
• Obama described a range of efforts the United States is making to reach out to Muslims, including education and business initiatives, such as a meeting Obama hosted this year that brought Muslim entrepreneurs from around the world to Washington.
• "By broadening the relationship, that strengthens it, it builds trust, creates more people-to-people contact," Obama said.
• "That will be good for our security but it will also be good for the larger cause of understanding between the United States and the Muslim world. I think it's an incomplete project we've got a lot more work to do. It's not going to eliminate or replace some tough dialogue around concrete policy issues.

Obama was asked about one difficult policy issue at the news conference, Israel's pushing ahead with plans to build 1,300 new apartments for Jewish families in occupied East Jerusalem, despite fierce opposition from Palestinians.
Obama said activity like the apartment building could end up making the peace negotiations more difficult.

• "This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations. And I'm concerned that we're not seeing each side make the extra effort involved to get a breakthrough," he said.
• Earlier, Obama arrived in Jakarta under stormy skies on Air Force One from India, as his nine-day Asian odyssey took him from the world's largest democracy to its most populous Muslim-majority nation.
• The president spent four years in Indonesia as a boy, but will have little time for tourism on a shortened, 24-hour visit, which will focus on improving ties with the Muslim world and courting opportunities for US companies.
• "It's wonderful to be here although I have to tell you that when you visit a place that you spent time in as a child, as the president, it's a little disorientating," he told reporters, standing alongside Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
• Within a few hours of Obama landing in Jakarta, Yudhoyono said the two had sealed a "comprehensive partnership" agreement designed to boost ties across economic and other fields.

Source: AP