Obama to visit Jakarta en route to APEC

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Fri, 09/25/2009 4:26 PM

Millions of people in Indonesia will end their long wait as US President Barack Obama will visit Jakarta on Nov. 12, albeit only for a stopover before flying to Singapore to attend the APEC meeting a day after.

“The US Embassy in Jakarta has officially submitted a formal proposal for the visit,” an official, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to talk with the media, said just before Obama hosted a dinner with G20 leaders, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during the summit here Thursday.

Another official said Obama would be in his childhood town Jakarta and would spend the night before attending the annual Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC), which will be held on Nov. 14-15 in the city state, Singapore.

“The tentative schedule will be a two-day visit in the capital. But it depends on the security situation as it can also be just on the Nov. 12. One thing for sure is that President Obama will meet with President Yudhoyono for a bilateral talk and visit his old school in Menteng, Central Jakarta,” the source said.

Obama spent a few years as a child living in Jakarta from 1967 to 1971 after his mother married an Indonesian man.