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Skriven 2006-11-20 23:31:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0611203) for Mon, 2006 Nov 20
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Joint Statement Between the United States and the Republic of Indonesia
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 20, 2006

Joint Statement Between the United States and the Republic of Indonesia


˙˙˙˙˙ President Bush Meets with President Yudhoyono of Indonesia ˙˙˙˙˙
President's Trip to Southeast Asia

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President George W. Bush today
reaffirmed the strength and vitality of the bilateral relationship between
Indonesia and the United States, and reviewed the highly positive
development of U.S-Indonesia relations over the past two years. The two
Presidents recognized the special and enduring bonds between the two
countries and their people, demonstrated recently by the close cooperation
following the devastating tsunami in Aceh and Hurricane Katrina. President
Bush expressed his admiration for the resilience and determination of the
Indonesian people and government in rebuilding areas affected by the
earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

The two Presidents reaffirmed that Indonesia and the United States are
bound by a broad-based democratic partnership based on equality, mutual
respect, common interests and shared values of freedom, pluralism and
tolerance. The Presidents committed themselves to broadening and deepening
such partnership.

President Bush congratulated Indonesia on the successful signing and
implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding that has brought peace to
the province of Aceh, and renewed the United States' firm support for
Indonesia's peace-building efforts in Aceh. President Bush also
re-emphasized the United States' strong support for Indonesia's national
unity and territorial integrity, and opposition to secessionist movements
in any part of Indonesia. President Bush stressed the importance of a
united, democratic, pluralistic and prosperous Indonesia to the region and
beyond.

President Bush congratulated President Yudhoyono on signing an agreement
with the Millennium Challenge Corporation for a $55 million Threshold
program, noting that it represents a resounding endorsement of President
Yudhoyono's anti-corruption program and "pro-growth, pro-job, and pro-poor"
economic strategy. President Bush expressed confidence that the threshold
program will have a transformative effect on Indonesia's development and
international competitiveness.

Noting the strength and importance of educational and cultural links, the
Presidents reviewed the excellent work being done through the US$157
million U.S-Indonesia Education Initiative on basic education, the
cornerstone of U.S. assistance to Indonesia and a symbol of our
forward-looking partnership. The Presidents highlighted the importance of
education for democracy, tolerance and economic progress and reaffirmed
their commitment to working together to revitalize their cooperation in
education. The Presidents also expressed their desire to encourage more
people-to-people contacts through travel, educational exchanges, and
tourism between Indonesia and the United States.

President Yudhoyono and President Bush noted with satisfaction the
continuing development of U.S-Indonesia economic and trade relations. They
welcomed the strong support by APEC Leaders for the conclusion of an
ambitious Doha Round agreement and noted their joint commitment to do
everything possible to realize the development goals of the Doha
negotiations. President Yudhoyono briefed President Bush on his
government's program to strengthen the investment climate by improving
infrastructure, reducing red tape, enhancing the rule of law and respect
for contracts. They welcomed a number of positive developments since their
May 2005 meeting in Washington DC, including:

* The establishment of the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership;

* Signing of a U.S.-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement
(TIFA);

* The June 2006 extension of U.S. Export-Import Bank coverage to private
Indonesian corporations for the first time since 1998;

* The upgrading of Indonesia from the Special 301 Priority Watch List in
November 2006 based on steps to improve intellectual property rights
enforcement; and

* The strengthening of our dialogue through our bilateral Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) to further promote and facilitate
trade and investment.

The Presidents praised two recently signed MOUs, one on Cooperation in
Trade in Textile and Apparel Goods and another on Combating Illegal Logging
and Associated Trade in the context of the TIFA between the two countries.
They also applauded the resumption of cooperation and capacity building
activities between the U.S. Forest Service and the Indonesian Ministry of
Forestry.

The two Presidents discussed the grave threat posed by Avian Influenza
(AI), and President Yudhoyono reiterated his Government's firm commitment
to combating its spread. He briefed President Bush on Indonesia's
completion of a unified national response plan, increase in the AI budget
for 2007, and active participation in the International Partnership on
Avian and Pandemic Influenza. President Bush announced the United States
would increase its AI assistance to Indonesia to expand animal surveillance
and response efforts and strengthen nation-wide public awareness. President
Bush confirmed that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would assign permanent staff to
Indonesia to build more effective partnerships with their counterparts in
Indonesia. President Yudhoyono thanked President Bush for the United
States' work in support of the Indonesian Ministry of Health's efforts to
identify human AI cases and investigate AI outbreaks. The two Presidents
stressed the imperative of continued and enhanced cooperation between
Indonesian and American health workers and medical scientists to fight
infectious diseases, including through the Naval Medical Research Unit
(NAMRU-2), which has been in operation since 1968. They agreed that
negotiations to extend the research work of NAMRU-2 should be expedited.

President Bush and President Yudhoyono reviewed the expanding partnership
between the U.S. and Indonesia in the area of disaster management,
emergency preparedness, and mitigation. The two Presidents noted the steady
progress on constructing the west coast road in Aceh Province that will
restore communication and economic links to communities that were
devastated by the tsunami, and agreed on the importance of expediting land
acquisition so that the road can be completed on schedule. President Bush
applauded the significant progress made in reconstructing Aceh, paving the
way for sustained peace and economic growth. President Bush and President
Yudhoyono also welcomed the recent agreement between their two governments
to cooperate on the development of a tsunami early warning system that will
safeguard Indonesia's tsunami-prone areas by 2009.

The two leaders noted the tremendous opportunities for cooperation between
Indonesia and the United States in the areas of alternative fuels and
environmental protection. President Yudhoyono briefed President Bush on his
ambitious biofuel development initiative and the Presidents endorsed the
U.S.-Indonesia Energy Policy Dialogue as a forum to discuss ways and means
to acquire clean and safe alternative energy, including biofuels.

As the leaders of two nations which have both suffered terrorist attacks on
their soil, the two leaders reaffirmed their solidarity in defeating the
scourge of terrorism. Both Presidents expressed satisfaction at the
successful arrest and conviction in Indonesia of suspects involved in the
2002 incident in Timika, and agreed to begin negotiations toward a Mutual
Legal Assistance Treaty.

President Bush and President Yudhoyono discussed a broad range of regional
and global security issues. President Bush and President Yudhoyono welcomed
the successful restoration of bilateral military ties, and pledged to make
such ties sustainable and mutually beneficial in the support of peace and
stability. They agreed that such ties would be primarily targeted at
increasing coordination on disaster relief, exchanges and training on the
role of militaries in democratic societies, increasing mutual professional
development and enhancing regional and maritime security. They agreed to
explore the possibility of a Status of Forces Agreement.

President Bush congratulated Indonesia on its election as a non-permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council. Both Presidents pledged to
work closely together on issues before the Council in order to maintain
international peace and security, especially the challenge posed by North
Korea's nuclear weapons program. President Bush applauded Indonesia's
participation in maintaining peace in southern Lebanon by volunteering
forces to join UNIFIL. The two Presidents also discussed the Arab-Israeli
conflict, and both Presidents stressed their support for the establishment
of a viable, independent, democratic and sovereign Palestine state that
would live side by side in peace with Israel.

The two Presidents stressed the importance of inter-civilizational and
inter-faith dialogues. The two Presidents expressed their concern to see
growing religious intolerance in some parts of the world and their common
desire to work against it. President Bush expressed great admiration and
respect for Indonesia's long history of religious tolerance and moderate
Islamic thought.

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