[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[May 25, 2005]
[Pages 874-876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Republic of 
Indonesia
May 25, 2005

    President George W. Bush and President Susilo Bambang 
Yudhoyono today reaffirmed the 
longstanding friendship between the United States of America and the 
Republic of Indonesia and committed to expand and deepen their 
cooperation based on partnership and our shared values of democracy and 
pluralism. The two leaders held productive discussions on issues of 
mutual concern at the bilateral, regional, and global levels.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono exchanged congratulations on the successful conduct 
of their respective elections last year. President Bush applauded 
Indonesia's enormous strides in building a durable democracy and noted 
that these successes truly reflect the determination and democratic 
spirit of the Indonesian people. Mindful of the importance of rule of 
law in building democracy and prosperity, the two Presidents agreed to 
establish a joint interagency working group to share experience and 
enhance cooperation on various justice-sector issues and related issues 
of mutual interest.
    On behalf of the American people, President Bush once again 
expressed his sympathy to the Indonesian people and their government 
over the catastrophic loss of life and the material destruction caused 
by recent earthquakes and the December 2004 tsunami. He reiterated the 
commitment of the American people to stand by those affected as they 
rebuild, and he announced that Indonesia will receive $400 million of 
the total $857 million earmarked by the U.S. Government for earthquake 
and tsunami relief and reconstruction. The United States has offered to 
rebuild the Banda Aceh-Meulaboh highway--a 240-kilometer road with over 
110 bridges that serves as a lifeline for much of the west coast of Aceh 
province--setting aside $245 million for the effort. The United States 
will also work with local and national authorities to rebuild homes, 
schools, and clinics and re-establish the means for the people of Aceh 
to return to work. The two Presidents pledged to work together to 
develop a Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Action Plan to increase 
Indonesia's capacity to respond to disasters of all kind. While 
stressing that the primary responsibility for dealing with the tsunami 
disaster and its consequences lies with the government and people of 
Indonesia, President Yudhoyono 
expressed deep appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy and generous 
financial assistance from the government of the United States and 
private American citizens. Recognizing the achievement of private U.S. 
citizens and companies in raising more than $1.4 billion for relief and 
reconstruction of the affected areas, the two Presidents welcomed the 
outcome of the Private Sector Summit held in Washington, D.C., on 12 May 
2005. They commended the efforts of the private sector, led by former 
Presidents George Bush and Bill 
Clinton, in generating such generous 
contributions for the tsunami victims.
    President Bush emphasized his government's support for Indonesia's 
territorial integrity and reiterated that the United States opposes 
secessionist movements in any part of Indonesia. He noted that a strong, 
united, democratic, and prosperous Indonesia will serve as a force for 
stability and progress in Asia and beyond. The President noted that 
reconstruction offers the opportunity for a new beginning in Aceh and 
gave his full support for President Yudhoyono's strong efforts to promote peace. He welcomed the 
ongoing talks to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to the 
conflict, based on special autonomy within the framework of a united 
Indonesia.

[[Page 875]]

    President Bush and President Yudhoyono underscored their strong commitment to fight 
terrorism, which threatens the people of both nations and undermines 
international peace and security. The two leaders rejected any link 
between terrorism and religion and pledged to continue to work closely 
at the bilateral, regional, and global levels to combat terror.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono endorsed cultural and educational exchange visits and 
interfaith dialogue as means for promoting tolerance, mutual respect and 
mutual understanding. The two Presidents pledged to work together to 
support such initiatives. President Bush welcomed President Yudhoyono's 
intention to send prominent Indonesian Islamic scholars to the United 
States to promote inter-faith dialogue.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono agreed that normal military relations would be in the 
interest of both countries and undertook to continue working toward that 
objective. The two Presidents welcomed the resumption of Indonesia's 
participation in International Military Education and Training (IMET) as 
an important step. They also looked forward to the convening of the 
Third Indonesia-United States Security Dialogue in Jakarta in mid-2005 
and called for further meetings of the Bilateral Defense Dialogue. They 
also praised the excellent humanitarian cooperation between the U.S. 
military and the Indonesian military during the tsunami emergency relief 
operations in Aceh. President Yudhoyono reaffirmed his commitment to 
further strengthen military reform, civilian control, and 
accountability. President Bush pledged his full support in these 
efforts. Encouraged by progress in the investigation of the 2002 
incident in Timika, President Yudhoyono reaffirmed that he would 
intensify efforts to ensure that the suspect indicted by a U.S. Federal 
court for the 2002 Timika killings is apprehended and that all those 
responsible for these crimes are brought to justice.
    The two Presidents discussed 
ways to strengthen U.S.-Indonesia economic cooperation and trade 
relations. President Yudhoyono briefed President Bush on his approach to 
Indonesia's development, which he termed ``pro-growth, pro-job, and pro-
poor.'' He also noted the urgent need to improve Indonesia's 
infrastructure and he invited Americans to participate in that 
undertaking. President Bush welcomed President Yudhoyono's determination 
to further economic reform, to combat corruption, and to improve the 
business and investment climate. Accordingly, the Presidents welcomed 
the $10 million G-8 pilot project to assist Indonesia in its efforts to 
improve the business climate. Stressing the benefits of an open trading 
system, the two Presidents welcomed the resumption of Trade and 
Investment Council (TIC) talks, after a five-year hiatus, under the 
U.S.-Indonesia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). The two 
Presidents encouraged their delegations to continue to make further 
progress in resolving outstanding trade issues, with the aim of 
broadening and deepening our economic relationship.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono discussed the state of the world's energy situation 
and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and investment 
in the field of energy. To this end, they announced the resumption of 
bilateral energy consultations, the first round of which will be held on 
May 26, 2005, in Washington after an eight-year hiatus, and called on 
participants to report back on progress to the two Presidents before the 
APEC summit meeting later this year.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono reaffirmed the importance of education in U.S.-
Indonesia relations and agreed to continue placing a high priority on 
cooperation in this field. President Yudhoyono recalled with 
appreciation President Bush's initiative during his visit to Bali in 
October 2003 to provide US$157 million to fund a six-

[[Page 876]]

year program designed to strengthen Indonesia's basic education 
capacity. The two leaders hailed the initial success of this program in 
enriching the educational experience of Indonesian children. They also 
agreed to expand opportunities and improve the quality of higher 
education for Indonesian students, including by increasing the number of 
Indonesian students studying in the United States.
    President Bush and President Yudhoyono exchanged views on international developments, 
particularly those in the Asia-Pacific region. President Bush expressed 
appreciation for Indonesia's role in strengthening the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and for efforts to achieve an ASEAN 
Security Community. The two Presidents exchanged views on Iraq and on 
prospects for peace in the Middle East, and they expressed support for 
two democratic states living side by side in peace and security. 
President Bush welcomed the intention of President Yudhoyono to help 
promote peace in the Middle East. President Bush congratulated President 
Yudhoyono on the successful convening of the Second Asian-African Summit 
in Jakarta, 23-24 April 2004.
    The two Presidents welcomed the 
development in the Asia-Pacific region of an open and inclusive 
institutional architecture that reinforces peace and stability and 
contributes to economic development and prosperity. They welcomed the 
contributions of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 
supporting trade and investment liberalization and for its cooperative 
efforts to combat threats to regional security. The two leaders 
underlined the importance of multilateral cooperation and, in this 
context, agreed on the need to pursue reform of the United Nations as a 
means to improving its effectiveness.
    The two leaders affirmed that 
the United States of America and Indonesia, two of the world's largest 
democracies, are bound by an abiding friendship and a common 
appreciation of diversity, tolerance, and freedom as a source of 
enduring strength.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.