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. Read entire post

Second Stop: Indonesia, Day 2

Hillary Clinton met today with the President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,who is seeking re-election in July, outside his office in the presidential palace in Jakarta before the two went in for talks. In their meeting she stated firmly that Washington would not neglect Southeast Asia and addressed anger in the predominantly Muslim country over U.S. policy in the Middle East. She also discussed economic cooperation and efforts to reach a new global agreement on climate change. She told reporters afterward, "We don't want to be absent. We want to be present." Watch a video of her arrival here.

She then took a tour around Petojo residential area in central Jakarta with the President. One of the topics discussed while here was providing clean water for the residents here through USAID.

Earlier in the day, Hillary made a stop at the Four Seasons Hotel for a special taping of "Dahsyat!" or "Awesome!" Basically, the TRL of Indonesia. Click here to read the post on her visit and to watch the videos. They are awesome for sure!

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Hillary Clinton on Awesome

Yesterday Luna Maya, the presenter of Indonesia's highest rated music television show, got a 20 minute interview with The Secretary of State. Wow! The show is called "Dahsyat!" Which literally translates to "Awesome."

The show aired live from the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta at 9 a.m. The hotel reconstructed the pool to make a temporary mini studio for the show. There were a few other Indonesian celebrities on the show including pop princess Agnes Monica, composer Melly Goleslaw, award winning director Nia Dinata. There were introduced to the Secretary as the country's most talented women artists.

For the host, Luna Maya, this was the most memorable day in her life she said. "Truly incredible. Just imagine, for me, who is not a news anchor, interviewed Madame Hillary. It's a big thing for me... I'm a big fan of Hillary Clinton." She said before the interview she was extremely nervous, but as the interview went on she got at ease because Hillary easily broke the ice.

Luna asked Hillary about what kind of music she liked. "The old classics. The Beatles and Rolling Stones." Clinton also mentioned that Bill, can work and concentrate while listening to hard rock and jazz. But not her. She has to have classical music on when she concentrates.

At the end of the show Clinton was asked to do a little singing. Now that would definitely of made International headlines! She laughed and joked, "See all these people, they will leave if I sing."

Tristram Perry, the Public Diplomacy Officer covering broadcast media at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, posted a blog about this on Dipnote. Worth the read!

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Second Stop: Indonesia

Hillary Clinton sure does know how to make an entrance! Here's some raw footage of Hillary descending from her plane.

Immediately after stepping off the plane at Halim airport in Jakarta, she was warmly greeted by senior officials including; U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron Hume. And right there on the tarmac a choir of female students from Menteng Elementary School 1, President Barack Obama's old primary school, sang a traditional song as part of the greeting ending with them waving both the American and Indonesian flags. Hillary talked with some of the children and had her picture taken with them. Michele Cenzer wrote a great post on Dipnote about the preparation for the meeting at Halim ariport. Then after that, it was off to business!

Security was definitely beefed up in preparation for her visit. Although many in Indonesia stand behind America and are hopeful for the new Obama Administration, a small block of radical extremists continue to call for "holy war" against American. They demand the implementation of hardline Islamic sharia law in Indonesia. Indonesian extremist groups have rejected Obama's and Secretary Clinton's attempts to reach out to the modern world, saying Washington merely wants to use Indonesia to window-dress what they say are anti-Muslim policies. There was a group of about 50 Muslim students protesting at the US embassy, carrying banners reading "America is a rubbish civilisation" and "America is the real terrorist." They chanted for Hillary to "get out," had painted anti-Hillary and America signs. Many were arrested.

Next on the agenda, Hillary was greeted by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda before their meeting in Jakarta. They held a joint news conference in which she again stated that she wants to improve relations with Indonesia and the Muslim world. She also commented on the fact that the U.S. is looking to work with Iran. The Obama Administration is looking for ways to work with Iran to stabilize Afghanistan. She also talked about climate change. Indonesia is actually the worlds third largest carbon emitter following the U.S. and China.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister made it clear that he is looking forward to an Obama visit. But Hillary kinda put the kabash on a visit anytime soon. She responds: "Knowing he can go somewhere in the world where he is so loved as he is loved in Indonesia, he may just want to wait until he really needs that visit, and you can lavish on him all of the love that you are telling me you feel for him."

Hillary also visited ASEAN's headquarters and met with its secretary general, Surin Pitsuwan. Pitsuwan said this about the Secretary: "Your visit shows the seriousness of the United States to end its diplomatic absenteeism in the region," he said. "Your willingness to listen will go a long way to winning friends and partners and reassuring allies in the region."ASEAN has not been very effective in dealing with one problem in the region: human rights abuses in Myanmar, formerly Burma. She clearly stated that the U.S. is reviewing its sanctions policy.

"Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn't influenced the Burmese junta, but … reaching out and trying to engage them hasn't influenced them either. So this is a problem."

After all of the official meetings, the Secretary had dinner with civil society groups to talk about her commitment to women's issues, the environment and health care. She lavished much praise her host country saying, "If you want to know whether Islam, modernity and women's rights can coexist, go to Indonesia." What a beautiful quote.

Embedded video from CNN Video

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