Obama postpones Australia visit

Domestic concerns have again sidelined United States President Barack Obama, who has
had to delay for a second time a visit to Australia and Indonesia.
The president had been due to visit Canberra and Sydney in mid-June but the worst
oil spill in US history will keep him at home.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who will meet Mr Obama at the G20 summit in Toronto at
the end of June, received a phone call from the president on Friday to confirm the
visit would be delayed.
Mr Obama is trying to deal with the political fallout from the disaster, created
when an undersea oil well erupted in the Gulf of Mexico more than six weeks ago.
A new date for Mr Obama's first visit to Australia has not yet been decided.
During their phone call, Mr Obama expressed his regret for having to postpone the trip.
"The president explained the challenge represented by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil
spill, and the continuing strong efforts of the administration to respond to that,"
a spokesman for Mr Rudd said.
"He regretted that, in view of that, he was not in a position to visit Australia in
June as planned.
"The president indicated that he remained keen to visit Australia, and looked
forward to rescheduling so that he could make the visit in the future."
The June visit was pencilled in after Mr Obama postponed a March trip so he could
stay home to harness political support for his historic health care laws.
The White House was keen to stress its continued commitment to relations with both
Australia and Indonesia.
"President Obama underscored his commitment to our close alliance with Australia and
our deepening partnership with Indonesia," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said
in a statement.
"He plans to hold full bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Rudd and President
Yudhoyono on the margins of the G20 meeting in Canada."
Mr Rudd indicated to Mr Obama during their telephone conversation that he understood
the president's predicament.
"The leaders reaffirmed their close partnership in the context of the US-Australia
Alliance," the prime minister's spokesman said.
Mr Obama had been expected to visit Jakarta and Bali ahead of his arrival in Australia.
The latest delay is sure to disappoint many in Indonesia, where Mr Obama lived for
four years as a boy.