Obama visit delay to June 'suitable' for Indonesia

Jakarta | Fri, 03/19/2010 11:04 AM | National The delay of US President Barack Obama's planned visit to Indonesia, now set for June, is in line with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's preference, Indonesia presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said here Friday.

Dino said Yudhoyono had earlier suggested that the visit was delayed until June even before Obama postponed the start of his Indonesian visit from March 20 to March 23.

"We understand that this is based on political necessity. The statement made by the White House was that President Obama himself was very disappointed and regretful that he could not make the visit," Dino told a press conference at the Presidential Office.

"We know that this visit is important to President Obama, that Indonesia is an important country, that there's a strong commitment to launch a comprehensive partnership.

"We're glad as from the beginning it is President Yudhoyono's preference... so that the visit is done without political rush. We want the visit to be 100 percent a success, where Obama can fully focuse on the Indonesia-US bilateral relationship," he added.

Dino said the visit would be done around mid-June, and that June was basically an option discussed by the two country leaders during their meeting in the G-20 meeting in Pitssburg last year.

"President [Yudhoyono] said it was better in June because summer holiday will have begun and [Obama] can bring the First Lady and his children to Indonesia."

The White House announced last night [Jakarta time] that Obama's visit to Indonesia and Australia, formerly set for next week, would be delayed until June.

The US President is facing pressure to stay at home to push past the health care reform bill, which is the main part of his campaign when running for the presidency.

US statement on the delay of Obama’s trip

Jakarta | Fri, 03/19/2010 12:18 PM | World

US President Barack Obama is pleased the House has posted the healthcare legislation on the Internet and that a final vote is going ahead, says White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

But since the House rules rightly provide for a 72-hour public review period, it is clear that a final vote on health insurance reform cannot take place before Sunday afternoon, Gibbs said in a statement run on the US Embassy Jakarta's website on Friday.

As a result, the President telephoned the leaders of Indonesia and Australia and told them that he must postpone his planned visits there for a later date so he could remain in Washington for the critical vote. The President now expects to visit Indonesia and Australia in June.

“The President greatly regrets the delay. Our international alliances are critical to America’s security and economic progress. But the passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance, and the President is determined to see this battle through,” the statement said.

Police herald safer Jakarta ahead of Obama state visit

Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 03/11/2010 9:40 AM

The Jakarta Police say the capital is secure for the upcoming visit by the US President Barack Obama, despite a slew of violent protests last week.

Obama is scheduled to be in the country from March 20 to 22.
“We’ll increase our supervision across our jurisdiction,” city police intelligence unit head Sr. Comr. Irlan said Wednesday.

He added the public was still welcome to stage protests during Obama’s visit, but under greater restrictions on when and where the planned protests could be held.

“For one thing, no protests can be held anywhere in the vicinity of Obama,” Irlan said.

“This isn’t special treatment, it’s the standard operating procedure for all state guests.”

He added protesters would also not be allowed to stage rallies at key locations, including in front of the State Palace.

He said the police would only permit protests that were related to Obama’s visit when the protest coordinators submitted a permit to the city police.

Since December, there have been three official protests against Obama’s visit, and 137 on various issues in just the first week of March.

The latest protest against Obama’s visit came last Friday in Banten province, when dozens of protesters calling themselves the improbably long-winded Campus Islamic Proselytization Institute Coordinating Board rallied outside the Serang Legislative Council.

There have been a total of 704 demonstrations in Jakarta this year.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said he would hold no special meeting with the central government to discuss Obama’s visit.

He added the capital city already had a procedure in place to welcome heads of state.

He said Obama was scheduled to arrive at Halim Perdana Kusumah Air Base, visit the State Palace, join a state dinner, discuss bilateral matters at the palace and then visit the Kalibata Heroes’ Cemetery in South Jakarta.

Fauzi said other items on the agenda, including a visit to his old elementary school in Menteng, Central Jakarta, had not been confirmed.

He added the city had prepared for the school visit anyway, and had roped the public order agency, the transportation agency, the education agency and the Central Jakarta mayor into the deal.

In a Cabinet meeting last month, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said Obama would visit Borobudur Temple in Central Java to “show his wife and two daughters Indonesia’s cultural side”.

The eighth-century Borobudur is one of Indonesia’s seven UNESCO world heritage sites.

The visit by Obama is being trumpeted as a return of sorts, given that the president spent four years in Jakarta as a child.

Obama moved to Indonesia at the age of 6 with his mother, Ann Dunham, and Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro.

He first attended the Fransiskus Asisi Catholic Elementary School, and later the Besuki State Elementary School.

He left the country at age 10.