THE GUARDIAN: US president returns to Jakarta, where he lived for four years as a child
Barack Obama arrrived in Jakarta today for a brief trip to Indonesia, where he lived for four years as a child.
On the second stop of his 10-day Asian tour, Obama will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, visit the country's largest mosque and deliver a speech supporting the country's democratic progress.
But the US president's visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation will last for less than 24 hours, and may have to be cut even shorter because of concerns that volcanic ash from Mount Merapi could disrupt his flights.
Speaking at a joint press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Obama said he thought the US was on "the right path" to a better relationship with the Muslim world, but acknowledged that some "misunderstandings and mistrust" were likely to remain.
"What we're trying to do is make sure that we are building bridges and expanding our interactions with Muslim countries," he said.
Obama's visit to the Istiqlal mosque – the biggest in south-east Asia – is seen as his best chance to improve relations with the Muslim world since an address in Cairo last year. >>> Toni O’Loughlin in Jakarta | Tuesday, November 09, 2010
