OBAMA PRAISES RI'S INFLUENCE IN INTERNATIONAL FORA

Singapura, Nov 15 (ANTARA) - United States President Barack Obama in the APEC meeting here has praised the significant influence of Indonesia's role in the international fora.

Obama who spent his childhood in Indonesia for several years, made the remarks in a joint news conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, on Sunday, after their bilateral meeting.

"Indonesia is an important country in Asia, a G20 member country, and the largest democratic country in the world, as well as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, has a huge influence and is a model of development of democracy and interreligious relations," he said.

Obama hoped that Indonesia and the U.S. can continue to maintain their good relations.

He made the statement in a meeting that lasted about 40 minutes, and the two delegations discussed a variety of issues, especially improvement of their bilateral relations.

"We can improve our bilateral relations with a comprehensive partnership that will be covering health, education, labor, and the combat against terrorism," he said.

"We also discuss the wider challenges to get a chance and deal with (climate change meetings) in Copenhagen," the U.S. president said.

Obama on Sunday evening also touched on the U.S. and Indonesia's commitment to stabilizing the world economy and trade growth, and investment growth.

At the end of his speech, apart from expressing a desire to bring his wife and son to Indonesia, Obama also thanked Yudhoyono for his leadership and commitment to improve U.S. and Indonesian relations.