REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton thanked Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa for Indonesian leadership in ASEAN and resolving South China Sea disputes. The US is also looking forward to Indonesia hosting APEC in 2013. 

"The Foreign Minister's personal leadership has helped lay the groundwork for diplomacy between ASEAN and China as it relates to the South China Sea," Secretary Clinton said on her remark after US-Indonesia third Joint Commission Meeting in Washington.

The US, she said, would continue to support ASEAN's six point principles believed to reduce tensions and pave the way for a comprehensive code of conduct for addressing disputes without threats, coercion, or use of force.

"We are also coordinating efforts to further develop south-south and triangular cooperation, such as enhancing disaster preparedness in Myanmar and convening a conference on women’s empowerment," she said in a press release from the US embassy in Jakarta.