Obama reaches out to Islamic world

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

Obama will deliver one of the most personal and potentially consequential speeches of his presidency today, 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.

Obama's trip came as a cherished, fleeting and twice-delayed homecoming in Indonesia. He canceled plans to visit earlier this year because of domestic troubles, and now he's dodging a big cloud of volcanic ash from India's most volatile volcano, Mount Merapi. Air Force One flew in as scheduled to Jakarta, but the trip was shortened to just 19 hours -- 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.

He will revisit themes of his famous 2009 Cairo speech, one in which he called for mutual respect: from the United States for Muslims in a post-Sept. 11 world, and also from Muslims for the United States for its diversity and compassion. That speech also essentially set up an Obama scorecard on Iraq, Iran and efforts to combat Islamic extremists.

Obama is also giving attention to the new partnerships his government has reached with Indonesia's. And he is talking freely about his time in the country, from age 6 to 10, when he was running around as a boy named Barry. The personal touches began coming out as Obama reflected Tuesday on how Jakarta has changed since he lived in the city. His only real look came during a couple of motorcade rides.

"I feel great affection for the people here," Obama said. "My mother lived and worked here for a long time. And so the sights and the sounds and the memories all feel very familiar."

The president drew smiles from the gathered dignitaries by speaking a little Indonesian at times.

"We have been waiting for so long," said Yudhoyono to Obama at a press event shoved inside by rain.

The two men touted a deal that will have both countries cooperating on energy, education, the environment and more. More broadly, Indonesia offers the United States another strategic, democratic voice in a continent of emerging powers and lucrative markets, while U.S. support can help Indonesia's own economy and regional security.

Both leaders pushed back on the thesis that Obama's efforts aim, at least in part, to counter China's rise. Obama insisted he wanted China to grow and prosper. Yudhoyono said he didn't think of one power counterbalancing another, but he added that there must be an "equilibrium" in the region.