Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with U.S. Commision on Religious Freedom, Middle East Activists and Indonesian Minister

Also, yesterday the Secretary also held a meeting with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday.

Read the Secretary's full remarks here or watch her brief remarks here:

The Secretary also had a meeting with visiting Middle East democracy activists.

"As President Obama said last week in Cairo, we have a number of very important issues that we wish to work with people across the world and particularly with Muslims across the world. And among those are democracy and human rights that are really at the core of self-expression and personal freedom and potential. So it is important to not only welcome these men and women here today, but to pledge our support to underscore that the United States will be a partner in working with those who are working on the front lines in their own countries."
Read her full remarks to the press here.

In the afternoon she held a bilateral with His Excellency Noer Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

This is a repeat meeting for the two and Hillary was sure to touch on this saying, "Mr. Wirajuda and I have already met in Jakarta, we’ve talked on the phone on important matters, and it’s a very wonderful part of my position to be able to have him here to continue the productive conversation we started in February."

During their remarks to the press, the Secretary laid out a few important announcements. Firs,t on education in Indonesia:

"I am pleased to announce that we are deepening our cooperation and committing $10 million in higher education funding for Indonesia this fiscal year, including projects for English language teaching and encouraging U.S.-Indonesia educational linkages. Also a group of American educators will travel to Indonesia this summer to explore additional opportunities for collaboration between our universities. Just as it is in the United States, education is the key to expanding economic opportunity in Indonesia and allowing people to live up to their full potential. And these people-to-people connections will further bind our countries together."
She also spoke about the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi:
"We also discussed the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. Let me again reiterate that the charges against her are baseless, and we call for her immediate release. Indonesia, like other ASEAN countries, have also spoken out about her plight and urged her immediate release, and we greatly appreciate that."
Read her full remarks with the Minister here.

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