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Obama cancels Indonesia trip

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President Obama has postponed a scheduled three-day trip to Jakarta until June because of the pending vote in Congress over the President’s massive health care bill. Anchor Jeb Sharp has details.

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JEB SHARP:  Now to another man in motion, or not.  President Barack Obama has assured Indonesians that he will visit their country, just not this weekend.  The scheduled three day trip to Jakarta has been postponed until June because of the pending vote in Congress over the President’s massive health care bill.  Mr. Obama sought to assure Indonesians that the delay doesn’t mean a cancelation.  He gave an interview that ran today on Indonesia’s largest commercial television network.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  Because we’re in the middle of this huge health care debate here in the United States, and it’s about to come to a vote and we’ve been debating at this for a year, and many of those votes were delayed.  We contacted the Indonesian government and in consultation, I think we’ve agreed that it makes more sense for me to delay the trip until the summer, until some time in June, so that I’m not rushed.

SHARP: President Obama lived in Indonesia for four years as a child so his first official trip there as head of the world’s most powerful country was supposed to be a pretty big deal.  But Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said today that his government fully understands the reason behind the delay and was not disappointed.  Even though we’ve been prepared for the visit he added, the delay is not the end of the world.  President Obama was also due to make a brief stop in Australia.  He phone Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to apologize for his change of plans.  Rudd later told Australian radio that he told Mr. Obama not to worry about it.

PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD:  I said to him I sympathize with him in two respects.  One, I’ve got a Senate too and it blocks most things I try to do.  And the second is we’re trying to get some new health care changes here in Australia as well.  So we had a good conversation.

SHARP: Rudd went on to say that he’s going to be very happy any time the President decides to visit Australia.

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