Indonesia is an important destination for Mr Obama for a variety of strategic and personal reasons, aides said. Its importance as a US ally is on the rise, even if the joy over Mr Obama's election has faded since he became president almost two years ago.
As Southeast Asia's biggest economy and a G20 member, Indonesia proved resilient to the financial crisis and has become a hot destination for emerging market investors looking to tap strong consumer demand, abundant resources and political stability.
'We see in Indonesia the intersection of a lot of key American interests, and we see this as a partnership that is very important to the future of American interests in Asia and the world,' said Ben Rhodes, Mr Obama's deputy national security advisor for strategic communications.
Mr Obama's return to a country where he spent four years of his childhood comes after two previously scheduled trips were put off - in March as he fought to pass his healthcare overhaul law and in June as he faced the cleanup of the massive BP oil spill.
Even this visit had been in some doubt because of concerns about volcanic ash from eruptions of the Mount Merapi volcano, which led to flight cancellations over the weekend. Jakarta is the second stop on Mr Obama's 10-day four-nation Asian tour. -- REUTERS
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