John Kerry treads carefully during Indonesia visit
• No response to NSA Indonesia spying report
• Kerry continues Asia tour with visit to mosque


Secretary of state John Kerry raises his hand after beating the call to prayer drum during a tour of the Istiqlal Mosque with Grand Imam KH Ali Mustafa Yaqub. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Secretary of state John Kerry visited southeast Asia’s largest mosque during his visit to Indonesia on Sunday, paying tribute to Islam in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. But the two-day visit may be marred by fresh spying allegations that emerged on Saturday in a New York Times report.

The report, based on leaked documents by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, said that the Australian Signals Directorate offered the NSA information “including communications between Indonesian officials and the American law firm” that was representing Jakarta in the trade dispute.

Kerry and Indonesian officials have not commented on the issue, and State Department officials declined to comment. The secretary of state may have to answer questions, however, when he meets Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa for dinner on Sunday. He will also hold a joint press conference with the minister Monday morning.


Kerry tours the Istiqlal Mosque. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Kerry gave a talk to students on Sunday afternoon, urging action against climate change which he called “the world’s largest weapon of mass destruction”.

Kerry was scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday afternoon. But a senior State Department official said the meeting had been cancelled because of the president’s “obligations related to the aftermath of the volcano” – referring to the Mount Kelud eruption in eastern Java on Thursday, which killed four people.

After removing his shoes outside the Istiqlal mosque in the heart of Jakarta, Kerry took a 20-minute tour through the vast building accompanied by grand imam Kyai al-Hajj Ali Mustafa Yaqub. Calling it an “extraordinary place”, the top US diplomat told Indonesian reporters: “I am very privileged to be here and I am grateful to the grand imam for allowing me to come.”

He then said in Arabic “Salaam alaikum” (peace be upon you), a greeting often used by Muslims around the world. The Obama administration has worked hard to try to repair relations with the Muslim world. Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta, visited the mosque in 2010.


Kerry takes a selfie with a group of students before delivering a speech on climate change in Jakarta. Photograph: Pool/Reuters

At the mosque Kerry showed no signs of any diplomatic tension, smiling for the cameras after beating a giant drum that soared several feet above his head.

Indonesia is just one stop on Kerry’s regional trip to reinforce Washington’s “pivot” to Asia, partly aimed at improving trade in the region to help boost jobs in the United States. Kerry has visited China and South Korea, and is scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon.

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