Obama says US on track to mend ties with Muslims

JAKARTA - US President Barack Obama said Tuesday his efforts to mend ties with the Muslim world were on track but acknowledged that the job was unfinished.

“I think that our efforts have been earnest, sustained,” Obama said during a visit to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country.

“We don’t expect that we’re going to completely eliminate misuderstandings and mistrust that have developed over a long period of time, but we do think that we’re on the right path,” he said.

Security issues, the president pledged, would not be the sole focus for the United States as it moves ahead in building bridges with the Muslim world.

“Security is important but I want to make sure we’re interacting with a wide range of people on a wide range of issues,” he said.

“It’s an incomplete project and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Obama added.

In a June 2009 speech in Cairo, Obama laid out his plans to repair Washington’s image in the Islamic world following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.