Obama reaches out to Muslims in Indonesia visit

JAKARTA, Indonesia - President Barack Obama yesterday reiterated his determination to push past obstacles to peace in the Middle East.

In a speech at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, the president said the United States has been persistent in the pursuit of peace, despite a history of false starts and setbacks. He said enormous obstacles remain, but the U.S. is committed to overcoming them.

Obama said the U.S. will spare no effort to reach the goal of two states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace.

From the most Muslim nation on earth, Obama is reaching out to the Islamic world, declaring that efforts to build trust and peace are showing promise but are still clearly "incomplete."

Wednesday, Obama will deliver one of the most personal and potentially consequential speeches of his presidency, reflecting on his own years of upbringing in Indonesia and giving an update on America's "new beginning" with Muslims that he promised last year in Cairo.

At the same time, the path to lasting peace in the Middle East was hardly looking smoother. A reminder of that difficult road was waiting for Obama when he landed here yesterday on a steamy afternoon in Southeast Asia. Israel's decision to build more apartments in east Jerusalem, a disputed territory claimed by Palestinians, had already earned a rebuke from American diplomats before Obama weighed in.

"This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations," Obama said when questioned at a news conference alongside President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "I'm concerned that we're not seeing each side make the extra effort involved to get a breakthrough . . . Each of these incremental steps can end up breaking down trust."

Obama's criticism came during a cherished, fleeting and twice-delayed homecoming in Indonesia. He canceled plans to come earlier this year because of domestic troubles, and now he's dodging a big cloud of volcanic ash.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi has erupted with deadly force for days. The White House determined that Air Force One could fly in as scheduled to Jakarta but that Obama should shorten his stay, given the flow of airborne ash. That meant Obama would be in Indonesia for just 19 hours, still long enough to visit a famous mosque and deliver his speech.

The president, who is Christian, is eager to hold up Indonesia as a model: an overwhelmingly Muslim nation where other religions are respected freely and an evolving democracy is gaining strength despite a legacy of corruption.