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President Obama wrapped up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit here on a personal note yesterday, thanking the people of Honolulu for their “extraordinary hospitality” and telling his visiting guests that Hawaii “made me who I am.”

In a wry touch at an outdoor press conference at the Marriott resort in Ko Olina, the president also thanked people in Honolulu for their “patience, because I know that traffic got tied up a little bit.”

He said, with a slight chuckle, that he had given aloha shirts to leaders of the 20 delegations from Asia and the Americas but had skipped a photograph of everyone wearing them. ”I thought this may be a tradition that we might want to break,” he said. “But I didn’t hear a lot of complaints about us breaking precedent on that one.”

(Actually, Japan last year omitted the gift of “national dress” for which APEC is known.)

In a more serious vein, the president asserted that agreements reached at the APEC conference would produce more jobs for Americans, that Russian and Chinese leaders agreed that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear arms, and that Republicans who defended a torture called “waterboarding” were wrong.

The president applauded a stand against protectionism and an APEC declaration that members are “committed to taking concrete steps toward a seamless regional economy.” APEC’s core mission, it said, “continues to be further integration of our economies and expansion of trade among us.”

The members also agreed to “launch the APEC Travel Facilitation Initiative to explore ways to make travel in the region faster, easier, and more secure,” to “reduce barriers to information flows,” and to liberalize controls on air cargo services.

The president said President Dimitry Medvedev of Russia and President Hu Jintao of China had agreed on the objective of stopping Iran’s effort to produce nuclear weapons but evidently did not agree that military force was an option. President Obama said “all options are still on the table” as they are in the similar case with North Korea.

Asked to comment on the view of some Republicans that waterboarding was acceptable in interrogating captured terrorists, the president contended that “they’re wrong.” He argued that was against American tradition and that America should set a good example as a leader. He said: “That’s not something we do.”

On the issue of China’s trade practices, President Obama said he was firm in his meeting with President Hu. Mr. Obama told Mr. Hu that China, as the world’s second largest economy, should be responsible as a leader.

The U.S. president said he insisted that China abide by international rules, protect the intellectual property rights of American companies operating in China, and revalue its currency to remove an unfair advantage.

A White House staff aide, briefing the press, the president and President Hu also addressed a range of issues, including maritime security. And the President made the point about the shared interest the United States and China making sure that there are clear rules of road, as it applies to maritime security.

In the president’s meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan, a White House aide said the president welcomed Mr. Noda’s announcement that Japan would begin negotiations on joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) intended to eliminate barriers to trade.

On the president’s meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, a White House aide said the president welcomed Canada’s interest in joining the TPP talks. The president thanked the prime minister for Canada’s participation in Libya and expressed his appreciation for the role of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan

In his welcoming remarks at dinner Saturday evening, President Obama said: “Hawaii is not perfect, but I think Hawaii comes about as close as you’ll come to a true melting pot of cultures, where people live and work together in mutual trust and mutual respect.”

“Here, we’re a single ohana — one family. We remember that beneath the surface, behind all the different languages and some very long names, we all share the same hopes, the same struggles and the same aspirations.”

“And we’ve learned that we’re more likely to realize our aspirations when we pursue them together.”

“That’s the spirit of Hawaii. It’s what made me who I am. It’s what shapes my interactions with all of you. And it’s the spirit that I hope guides us in our work this weekend.”

“And so I’d like to propose a toast with the words of a traditional Hawaiian proverb: A’ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia. And that means, no task is too big when done together by all.”