Obama to arrive in Indonesia on June 14

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 05/25/2010 5:09 PM

US President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on June 14 for a much-anticipated visit to the country where he spent part of his childhood over 40 years ago.

US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero told a press conference in Washington on Monday that Obama would launch during his trip a US-Indonesian comprehensive partnership that would cover various fields, ranging from the economy to environment.

Otero made a trip to Indonesia on May 17-21 and discussed potential partnerships with senior government officials, nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations and civil society activists.

“One of the key goals of [Obama’s] trip is to engage with government officials on how our democracies can cooperate to support and strengthen the democratic institutions in the region.”

This will all be part of the partnership, Otero said.

Obama was slated to visit Indonesia in November during a trip to an APEC meeting in Singapore. The visit to Indonesia was rescheduled to March, but postponed later because of a key US Congress’ vote on health care.