Susilo's visit may boost RI-U.S. ties

Susilo's visit may boost RI-U.S. ties

Agencies, Jakarta

Military and economic ties will top the agenda when President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono holds talks with United States President
George W. Bush in Washington on Wednesday.

Susilo will spend two days in the U.S. on his first White
House visit since taking the helm of the world's most populous
Muslim country last October.

During his U.S. trip, Susilo will also meet a number of
businessmen, legislators and the director of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).

Susilo's visit will commence on Wednesday morning with a
scheduled meeting with businesspeople from several large
corporations, including ExxonMobil, Merryl Lynch, Conoco and
Philip Morris.

That will be followed by talks between Susilo and U.S.
congresspeople on Capitol Hill. He will later participate in
bilateral talks on energy resources at the Old Executive
Building.

Susilo will then lunch with Vice President Richard "Dick"
Cheney at the latter's residence in the U.S. Naval Observatory
complex.

The meeting with President Bush is scheduled later in the
afternoon at the White House, before Susilo meets U.S. Secretary
of Defense, as well as the current and former Secretaries of
State at Blair House.

On Wednesday night, President Susilo will attend a reception
held by the United States-Indonesia (USINDO) forum.

On Thursday, Susilo is expected to meet the IMF operational
director, Senator Bill Frist and Patsy Spier, the widow of one of
two American teachers killed in an ambush near the Freeport
McMoran gold and copper mine in Papua in 2002. Susilo is also
scheduled to meet a group of Indonesian citizens that reside in
the U.S. on Thursday evening, before meeting Microsoft CEO Bill
Gates the next day.

The visit to the U.S. is part of a 10-day trip, which will
also take him to Japan and Vietnam.

With Yudhoyono's credibility riding high on a series of
Western-friendly policies and support growing in Washington for
renewed military bonds with the Southeast Asian giant, analysts
expect the former general will be successful.

"Indonesia-U.S. relations are moving into a stronger sphere
and Yudhoyono would not be making this trip unless he expected to
get something out of it," said Robert Broadfoot of the Political
and Economic Research Consultancy in Hong Kong, as quoted by AFP.

Earlier this month, Adm. William Fallon, the new head of the
U.S. Pacific Command, expressed optimism that his country would
soon resume full military cooperation with Jakarta, which he said
had made progress on human rights.

Washington decided in February to resume training for
Indonesian military officers, after it eased in January an
embargo on the supply of U.S. military hardware, which was done
partly in a bid to help boost tsunami relief efforts in Aceh.

Restrictions were initially imposed after Indonesian troops
killed several dozen civilians at Santa Cruz cemetery in East
Timor in 1991. They were tightened in 1999 when the military was
blamed for gross human rights violations during East Timor's vote
that would lead to independence.

Ties chilled further in 2002 after the Indonesian military
allegedly blocked U.S. investigations into the killing of two
American teachers in the insurgency-hit remote eastern province
of Papua.

Aside from first lady Kristiani Herawati and their two sons
Agus Hari Murti Yudhoyono and Edhi Baskoro Yudhoyono, Susilo's
entourage includes Air Force chief of staff Marshall Djoko
Soejanto, several Cabinet ministers and House of Representatives
legislators.

The ministers that will be going are Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu,
State Minister of National Development Planning/National
Development Planning Board chairwoman Sri Mulyani Indrawati, as
well as legislators Theo Sambuaga, Effendi Simbolon and Angelina
Sondakh.

In Japan, Susilo will meet Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi,
Japanese legislators and a number of Japanese funding
organizations including JICA and JETRO.

President Susilo will also meet Japanese journalists from the
Japan Press Club before flying back home on June 3.