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.