[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[September 8, 2007]
[Pages 1187-1188]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Meeting With President Susilo Bambang 
Yudhoyono of Indonesia in Sydney
September 8, 2007

    President Bush. Mr. President, I admire your leadership, I admire 
your strength of character, and I appreciate our conversation today. But 
first, I thank you very much for your strength in this struggle against 
extremism. You understand firsthand what it means to deal with 
radicalism, and you've done it in a very constructive way. On the one 
hand, you've brought people to justice who deserved it; on the other 
hand, you've worked to improve the human condition.
    And we're proud to stand with you on matters such as education. 
You've got a very constructive education reform package in your country 
that we believe will make a difference, and I thank you for that.
    Today we discussed our bilateral relations and the importance of 
military-to-military relationship. I think it's important that officers 
in the Indonesian Army and the Indonesian military come to the United 
States. I think it's important for our military folks to interface with 
your officers. After all, Mr. President, if I remember correctly, you 
spent some time in Kansas. And I think it's in the country's interest 
that we interface with our friends, the Indonesians, in this way.
    I want to thank you for your leadership on climate change. We had a 
good discussion on climate change. Interestingly enough, the President 
is in the lead when it comes to coral reef protection, and we want to 
help you. And you've also got an aggressive plan to stop deforestation. 
As a matter of fact, you're one of the leaders in the world when it 
comes to these practical applications of environmental quality and 
environmental progress. And the United States wants to help. We're 
working on a $20 million initiative to help you on your preventing 
deforestation, and it's a good use of our taxpayers' money, particularly 
since we've got such a strong champion as you in the lead.
    I also thank you very much for our discussion on Doha. Trade will 
help our respective nations. And your Minister and I had a discussion yesterday, and I want to thank 
you for your leadership on this key issue.

[[Page 1188]]

    All in all, Mr. President, I'm proud to be with you today, and I 
want to thank you for your time.
    President Yudhoyono. Thank you, Mr. President. We have discuss lot 
of things constructively and productively this morning. I have to be 
thankful for your roles and leaderships in fostering our bilateral 
friendships and cooperation.
    Thank for your willingness to cooperate and assist Indonesia in 
managing our forests, in preserving our coral, and in other things in 
saving our planet with a framework of cooperation--effective 
cooperation. And thank for that kind of support.
    Thank also for our good cooperation in the field of education, and 
also, military-to-military cooperation is progressing well--that benefit 
both for the U.S. and for Indonesia.
    And thank also for your understanding on the ongoing talk on the 
WTO. Indonesia, with other developing countries, will play a specific 
role, will approach this thing constructively, finding a proper solution 
good for both developed nation and developing countries.
    President Bush. Sure.
    President Yudhoyono. And once again, thank for this cooperation with 
your roles, and looking forward to having other action and cooperation 
between our two countries.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. President.

Note: The President spoke at 10:08 a.m. at the InterContinental Sydney. 
In his remarks, he referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs Noer Hassan 
Wirajuda of Indonesia.