U.S. VP Pence tours Southeast Asia's biggest mosque, talks trade in Indonesia

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accompanied by Chief Imam Nasaruddin Umar (L) and Chairman of the Istiqlal Mosque Management Executive Board, Muhammad Muzammil Basyuni (R) during his visit to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia April 20, 2017. REUTERS/Adi Weda/Pool

JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence toured Southeast Asia's largest mosque on Thursday during a visit to Indonesia, calling the Muslim-majority nation's tradition of following a moderate form of Islam "an inspiration to the world".

Pence, an evangelical Christian, has sought to use his trip to soften some of the harsher edges of rhetoric about the Muslim world used by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has frequently railed against "radical Islamic terrorism."