[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 21 (Monday, May 30, 2005)]
[Pages 880-882]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 881]]

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.
    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

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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-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.