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Jakarta 'understands Obama delay' Acceptance over Obama Asia delay
(about 1 hour later)
Indonesia says it understands why US President Barack Obama had to cancel a historic visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation. Indonesian and Australian officials have expressed understanding after US President Barack Obama cancelled a much-anticipated visit to the region.
The archipelago was due to play host to the US leader next week. Both countries and Guam had been due to host the US leader next week.
The trip was being hailed by both sides as a momentous opportunity to cement their relationship on security, trade and military issues. But Mr Obama postponed the visit to focus on the healthcare reform vote in Washington, and is now planning to come in June instead.
Mr Obama spent four years in Jakarta as a young boy and this has added to his appeal amongst the Indonesian people. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that the government was "not disappointed".
Indonesia's presidential spokesman, Dino Djalal, says the Indonesian leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had predicted Mr Obama would cancel his trip because of the healthcare bill. "Even though we've been prepared for the visit, (the delay is) not the end of the world," he said.
Mr Djalal says when the US president called his Indonesian counterpart to discuss postponing the trip, it was in fact Mr Yudhoyono who suggested that the visit should take place in June. Indonesia's presidential spokesman, Dino Djalal, said that when the US president called his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to discuss postponing the trip, it was in fact Mr Yudhoyono who suggested that the visit should take place later in the year.
Mr Obama has decided to stay in Washington to work on the controversial healthcare bill which is due to be voted on this Sunday, the same day he was expected to leave for his Asia-Pacific visit. In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he understood the problems Mr Obama was facing.
He had also been scheduled to visit Guam and Australia on the same trip. "We had a conversation on the phone this morning - he'd like to have a more relaxed visit than the 24-hour whip in, whip out that the last one had come down to."
The trip was being seen as a crucial push for influence in this region by the United States, to counteract the growing reach of China in Asia. Push for influence
Indonesia is South East Asia's largest economies and a growing market - one that American firms are keen to get into. The US president had been scheduled to address the Australian parliament, but most attention had been focused on the Indonesian leg of the trip.
It was being hailed by both sides as a momentous opportunity to cement their relationship on security, trade and military issues.
It was also, reports the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta, being seen as a crucial push for influence in the region by the United States to counteract the growing reach of China.
Indonesia is South East Asia's largest economy and a growing market - one that American firms are keen to get into.
There were hopes that significant initiatives on trade and investment would have been signed during the American president's visit to the country he lived in as a child.There were hopes that significant initiatives on trade and investment would have been signed during the American president's visit to the country he lived in as a child.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is due to visit Indonesia in April, a trip that is likely to discuss further cooperation on trade. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is due to visit Indonesia in April, a trip that is likely to see discussions on further co-operation on trade.
China signed a free trade agreement with the Asean bloc which came into effect earlier this year, and is increasingly becoming a key economic partner for many of the nations in Asia.China signed a free trade agreement with the Asean bloc which came into effect earlier this year, and is increasingly becoming a key economic partner for many of the nations in Asia.