Gelbard bids farewell to President

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