Gelbard bids farewell to President

JAKARTA: Outgoing United States Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard paid a visit to President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday to bid farewell as he will end his tenure in the country next week.

Gelbard, who assumed his ambassadorship here in October 1999, will be replaced by Ralph Boyce, who is expected to arrive in Jakarta on Monday.

Boyce, a former U.S. ambassador to Thailand, was U.S. deputy state secretary for Asia and the Pacific, before being appointed as ambassador to Indonesia. He was sworn in on Tuesday.

Gelbard has come into conflict with Indonesian officials on a number of occasions, leading the House of Representatives to once request the U.S. government to withdraw him from the country as they perceived him as interfering in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

Chairman of House Commission 1 on security and foreign affairs, Ibrahim Ambong, said he hoped that the new U.S. ambassador would improve ties between the two countries as he was more familiar with Asian culture.

"We hope that he can establish better relationships in the future with the Indonesian officials," Ibrahim said as quoted by Antara. -- JP