British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday called for greater co-operation and understanding between Islam and the West, which he said would help in the fight against global terrorism.
Blair, who was in Jakarta for talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, took his message to youngsters as he launched an Internet initiative to link more than 1,000 schools in Britain and Indonesia.
The British leader, who faced a grilling on his country's backing for the US-led "war on terror" from students at the Islamic boarding school, said his visit underlined the importance of building understanding.
Countries may have differing viewpoints, but understanding those differences of opinion was the true nature of democracy, he stressed.
"Here we are in a country with over 200 million people, the largest Muslim country in the world. It's so important for us to be able to work closely with them," Blair told reporters.
"If the two schools, by linking up, help people of different faiths to understand each other and work with each other, that's every bit as much part of the battle against extremism than anything we can do by way of security."
Blair said earlier after bilateral talks with Yudhoyono that both Britain and Indonesia - which have both been scarred by terrorist atrocities - had a "common interest" in defeating extremism.
As the world's most populous Muslim country - and a nascent democracy emerging from years of dictatorship - Indonesia had a key role to play in fostering religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue, he said.
"I think Indonesia is a crucial partner in trying to ensure that there is greater understanding of people of different faiths and that they are engaged in resolving the conflicts in the world."
As part of that drive, Blair and Yudhoyono launched the Indonesia-United Kingdom Islamic Advisory Group, which will provide both leaders with guidance on how to combat extremism and promote dialogue between the West and Islam.
The British leader also met Islamic scholars from two of Indonesia's largest mass-membership Muslim groups in what he described as an "inspiring and at times moving occasion".
For his part, Yudhoyono - Indonesia's first directly-elected president - said his country was improving its capacity to combat terrorism in line with the rule of law while respecting human rights.
"We try to bring perpetrators to justice as transparently and as accountably as possible so that people can follow what has been done by the government and the law enforcement agencies in Indonesia," he told a joint news conference.
Blair's visit here was the first by a serving British prime minister since Margaret Thatcher in 1985.
The West has shown a growing interest in Indonesia, which made its transition to democracy after the 1998 resignation of former dictator Suharto, assisting in reconstruction in Aceh, where 168,000 people were killed.
Blair departed late Thursday evening. He had arrived a day earlier after stops in Australia and New Zealand.
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